Innocence (Sonadow)
by Crystal Draculura Bloodsucker
Summary: What if Sonic and Shadow met under different circumstances? (Full Summary inside) AN: Ok, I know I have ALOT of stories to keep up on, but when I have an idea, I just can't help but get it down and share it. Besides, I'm really dedicated to this one, and I won't miss a single update. Updated every Wednesday. Reviews welcome.
1. Prologue

Title: Innocence

Summary: What if Sonic and Shadow met under different circumstances?

Shadow has the mind of an innocent child, and has been held captive by Dr. Eggman for as long as he can remember.

Tortured, starved, and experimented on daily.

He can't remember anything outside of the cell. He can't remember who he is or what he used to be before. All he remembers is his name.

When Team Sonic finds and rescues him, he forms a strong bond with Sonic. But, something is wrong with Shadow, and they discover an experiment that Eggman has been working hard on that involves him.

Now, Shadow will need Sonic's help more than ever to get through it. Will their newfound friendship be able to reach that far?

Warning:

Shadow OOC

Sonadow

Sonic Seme

Shadow Uke

Teenage Diaper Usage

Lemons

MPreg

**Prologue**

_Day 1,395_

_At least I think that's how long it's been, I've haven't seen the outside in so long I've lost count._

_The bad man came in and beat me again yesterday, I think it was yesterday. He came in as always, his giant body blocking the light into my cell. I hate it when he does that. His black silhouette looks so scary. It makes me tremble in fear and sometimes I wet myself because I'm so scared. He laughs when I do that._

_He keeps saying that I'm supposed to be some kind of "Ultimate Lifeform" and incapable of fear, but I don't know what he means by that, and it scares me._

_He says that he's after my memories. He says he needs them for some reason. He keeps asking about something called the ARK and where it might be, but I keep telling him the same thing. I have no memories left. Nothing at all. I don't remember anything, accept my own name… or rather the name the bad man gave me._

_Shadow the Hedgehog._

_He gets mad whenever I tell him that, and he beats me and does these horrible experiments on me, claiming he's just trying to "jostle" my memory, but it only makes me scream and cry._

_I'm so scared. I don't want to be in this dark cell anymore. I don't like the dark._

_I don't want to sit here, trembling in fear as I wait for the bad man to come back. I'm afraid of the bad man._

_I want to run away, but I'm so weak from his tests and he hardly ever feeds me. Where would I go anyway?_

_I'm so scared._

_Please… won't someone help me?_

_Wait… someone's coming!_

_Oh no!_

_Please! Not again! I'm still weak from yesterday! Please, no!_

_Wait a minute…_

"You're not the bad man…"


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: With five chapters already written out and ready to be posted on schedule, I decided to be nice and give you guys a little treat and post Chapter 1 early. Don't worry, I'll still be posting this coming Wednesday, I just wanted to do this because I can.**

**Chapter 1**

Tortured, starved, and experimented on daily.

That's the image Sonic was getting as he stared in horror at the black and maroon hedgehog that trembled in the dark.

It was truly an awful sight.

The hedgehog was so thin. His arms and legs were thin and stringy and his ribs showed through his skin. Scars and bruises adorned his whole body, a longer scar just running across his lower abdomen, an obvious sign that Eggman had cut into him. His fur was cover in dirt and grime, a few patches stuck together with dried blood. His eyes were raw and bloodshot from all the crying he must've done, and his voice was dry and crackly, the signs of a sore throat, most likely from the screaming.

The smell of urine and body odor filled the cell, coming from the poor hedgehog who sat in the corner. The sound of rattling chains filled the room whenever he moved. Whimpers and soft cries came from his mouth in fear.

Sonic still remembered clearly what the hedgehog had said to him the moment he opened the door.

_You're not the bad man._

"You poor thing." Sonic whispered softly, trying his best not to startle the already frightened hedgie. It was a failed attempt.

The ebony and maroon hedgehog whimpered as he tried to move further into the corner, his eyes never moving from the stranger in his cell. The poor thing was terrified. What has Eggman done to him?

"Shhh. It's ok. It's ok." Sonic gently spoke, kneeling down to make himself look smaller and nonthreatening to the other. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm here to rescue you."

"Rescue… me?"

"That's right. My friends and I were originally here for something else, but when we found out he was keeping you here, well I couldn't just leave you."

"But… why?"

Sonic gently smiled and held out his hand, palm facing up for the hedgehog to take. "Because that's what Freedom Fighters do. Won't you let me save you?"

The hedgehog was about to take his hand, but then he stopped and pulled away. The only person he had ever known since he woke up was the bad man. He didn't know trust and truth. Sonic should've realized that.

"How do I know you're not working for the bad man?"

Sonic growled lowly, making the other hedgehog whimper. At this, he immediately stopped and sighed. "Trust me, I hate that man just as much as you do. I wouldn't work for him even if my life depended on it. What he did to you is wrong, little one. And I promise, the moment I see him again, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind."

"... You promise?"

"I promise. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You're safe with me."

The hedgehog seemed to think about this before he finally slowly stood up and took a few shaky steps towards the blue one, his chains dragging behind him. The poor thing was only able to take at least three steps before his weak legs gave out. Sonic quickly rushed forward and caught him, holding him gently. He reached behind his quills and grabbed a brass key, using it to unlock the chains around the captive's wrists and ankles. Afterwards, Sonic wrapped the hedgehog's arms around his neck and picked him up, the onyx hedgie instinctively wrapping his legs around his torso to keep himself up. Sonic smiled and began to carefully carry him outside of the fortress, where his friends were most likely waiting for him.

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, by the way." He said to the hedgehog in his arms. "What's your name?"

"...Shadow… Shadow the Hedgehog."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sonic walked slow as he carried Shadow, not wanting to go too fast in case he scared him.

"How long has he kept you here?"

"Including today, I think 1,395 days, but I can't be sure."

Sonic inwardly gasped. Almost 4 years… and he and the others didn't have a clue! It made Sonic feel so incredibly guilty that it had taken him this long to find the poor hedgehog in his arms. No wonder he had trust issues.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't find you sooner." He whispered gently.

"It's ok, Sonic." Shadow shook his head. "You didn't know. And besides, what matters now is that you did find me, even if it did take long."

"I suppose." Sonic smiled as he slowed down to a stop right by the exit. "Now Shadow, it's going to be really bright outside, which might hurt your eyes because you've been in the dark for so long. You can close your eyes until you're ready if you want. You can even bury your face into my shoulder if you think that might help. I just want to warn you before we head out there."

"Ok." Shadow nodded, closing his eyes and burying his face into the crook of Sonic's neck. Sonic smiled before stepping up to the self-sliding door, stepping outside into the sunlight once the door opened.

Once they were outside, Shadow began to feel very warm, a large contrast to his cold cell. He slowly lifted his head from Sonic's shoulder and slowly opened his eyes, squinting when the bright sunlight attacked his eyes.

"Ow." He whimpered as he closed his eyes and buried his face again.

"I told you." Sonic chuckled. "It's ok, you'll get used to it."

"I wanna see." Shadow whined. "I've never seen the outside. I wanna see what it looks like."

"You will Shadow, I promise. You just gotta give your eyes some time to adjust."

"SONIC!"

Shadow whimpered at the loud voices. Loud voices meant trouble. Whenever the bad man got a loud voice, he knew he was in trouble.

"Sonic, are we in trouble?" He whimpered, trying his best to bury his face deeper into his savior's neck.

"Shhh, no Shadow, we're not in trouble." Sonic gently comforted him, rubbing his back. "Those are just my friends. They must've been worried."

"Sonic, it's about time you got out here!" A red echidna glared at the blue hedgehog. "We were starting to think that Eggman escaped our trap and caught you."

"Come on guys, you know me better than that." Sonic gently chuckled, trying not to yell into Shadow's ear. The poor thing was already trembling enough. His friends were scaring him.

"Is that the prisoner Eggman was keeping?" A two tailed fox asked in horror and astonishment.

"Yes, his name is Shadow. Can you guys tone it down a bit? He scares easily." Sonic told them, hushing and comforting the black and maroon hedgehog who kept whimpering into his neck.

"The poor thing looks awful." A pink hedgehog gasped. "How long has he been trapped here?"

"Almost 4 years." Sonic sighed, causing his friends to gasp. "Shadow… Hey Shadow. Come on little one, open your eyes. It's alright, they won't hurt you."

Shadow's whimpers slowly died down as he obeyed Sonic's offer and slowly opened his eyes, squinting to keep the sunlight out for now. He turned his head towards the three new voices and shyly whimpered when he saw them staring at him.

"Shadow, these are my friends, Tails the Fox, Knuckles the Echidna, and Amy Rose the Hedgehog." Sonic introduced each of his friends. "Can you say hello to them?"

Shadow whimpered and buried his face again into Sonic's neck, too shy to say hello.

"I guess he's shy." Amy gently chuckled.

"He looks to be about the same age as Sonic," Tails frowned. "But he acts like a small child."

"He's been through a lot Tails, cut him some slack." Sonic sighed to the fox.

"I didn't mean any offence!" Tails quickly replied.

"I know you didn't little bud, but he doesn't know that." Sonic gestured to the sniffling hedgehog in his arms. "Shhh, it's ok Shadow. He didn't mean it."

"It's not that." Shadow whimpered, his entire body trembling.

"Then what is it? What's wrong?"

"... the bad man."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What does he mean 'the bad man'?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm guessing it's what he calls Eggman." Sonic answered with a frown. "But I don't know what he means by it. Shadow, what do you mean? What about the bad man?"

"He means me! HO HO HO HO HO HO!"

Shadow cried out in terror as he clung to Sonic with all his weak strength. Sonic held onto the ebony hedgehog and growled as he turned to the voice, glaring straight into the black goggles of his arch nemesis.

"Eggman!" He hissed. "We were just leaving."

"Oh, I see you were." The human sneered. "And with two possessions of mine as well."

"Ok Egghead, calling the Chaos Emerald a possession is one thing, but Shadow is not a thing you can possess!" Sonic growled. "He's a person! A living being! And you've hurt him so much!"

"I only did what I had to to bring his memories back." Eggman glowered back. "But he insists that he can't recall a single memory."

"Because I can't!" Shadow cried, refusing to look at the bad man. "You say I'm supposed to remember but I can't! I don't know what you want from me! Please, I just wanna be free!"

"You'll be free when I say you can, you ungrateful rat!"

Suddenly, a large robotic tentacle shot out of the darkness from behind the man, quickly rushing towards Sonic and snatching the black and maroon hedgehog from his arms.

"SHADOW!" Sonic and his friends cried out in shock as they were forced to watch Shadow be manhandled by an octopus-like machine.

"Behold! Octobot!" Eggman introduced the new machine. "Its arms are long enough to reach over 10 feet and is strong enough to lift 10 ton weights over its head, and it's grip is incredibly strong. So go ahead, Sonic. Try to destroy this robot. Just know, you'll be destroying Shadow with it."

"You wouldn't dare!" Sonic gasped. "Not when you still need his memories!"

"Memories, smemories! I don't need them, I can find the ARK another way. Still though, he is a benefit."

"AAHH, SONIC HELP ME!!!" Shadow cried, tears of absolute fear running down his cheeks as the arms of the robot squeezed him. "YOU PROMISED!!!"

Hearing those words come from the ebony's mouth made Sonic's heart shatter. He did promise Shadow that he'd protect him, and he wasn't about to break that promise now.

"Don't worry Shadow, we'll get you out!" Sonic called to him before turning to his nemesis. "Let him go, Egghead!"

"HO HO HO HO! You say it like it's that simple." Eggman laughed. "What makes you think I'll just simply hand him over?"

"You said it yourself. You don't need his memories, therefore you don't need him."

"I also said that he'd still be a benefit you half-deaf rodent. … However, I may be willing to trade him."

"Trade him?" Tails questioned.

"The Emerald you stole from me, in exchange for Shadow." The man sneered wickedly. "So, what will it be?"

"How do I know you're not gonna doop us?" Sonic growled.

"Why Sonic, we've known each other for years." Eggman mock gasped. "Surely you should know by now that I am a man of my word. The Emerald for Shadow. No tricks."

Sonic growled in frustration. It wasn't really a hard choice, he'd rather give up the Emerald if it meant saving Shadow's life. It was just the fact that his life was being traded to begin with like he was some object. Sonic sighed and nodded.

"Very well, Eggman." He sighed, pulling out the yellow Chaos Emerald from his quills. "I accept your offer."

"Good choice." Eggman snickered as he snapped his fingers.

At the fingersnap, the Octobot stopped squeezing the ebony hedgehog in its tentacles and lowered him to the floor. The poor thing was still sobbing the moment the robot let go and was replaced by Eggman.

Being suddenly grabbed by the bad man, Shadow's body malfunctioned and urine pooled at his feet. The bad man chortled at his ability to bring fear to something that's supposed to be so great.

"You might wanna stack up on some diapers if he keeps this up." The man laughed as he held his palm out to Sonic. "The Emerald, Sonic."

Sonic nodded with a sigh as he cautiously walked toward the evil genius. The moment the Emerald was in his hand, Eggman roughly shoved Shadow into the blue hedgehog's arms, Sonic barely had time to react.

"Sonic!" Shadow whimpered as he hugged onto his savior, crying his little heart out.

"Shhh. It's ok, Shadow. I'm here. I've gotcha." Sonic gently shushed, petting the ebony's quills back. "You're safe."

"But, but…" Shadow started, looking up at him. "But what about the… the… the Emmy thing? Don't you need it?"

"The Emerald?" Sonic chuckled at his adorable attempt to remember what it was called. "Don't worry…" Suddenly, Sonic was whispering into Shadow's ear. "I've got it covered." Then quickly, he looked towards Knuckles. "Knuckles, now!"

At the command, Shadow watched in astonishment as Knuckles quickly leaped forward, gliding through the air towards the bad man before roughly punching him in the face, sending the bad man flying back while letting go of the Emerald. The bad man went flying against his own robot, getting tangled up in its tentacles while Knuckles grabbed the Emerald, teasing the man by throwing it up and catching it again, over and over.

"You should know better than to trust me with such deals." The echidna chuckled. "I'm the Guardian of all Emeralds, so not a chance I would let you keep any one of them, even if it meant saving someone's life."

Shadow whimpered again at that, but was quickly calmed when Sonic gently bounced him.

"It's ok, Shadow, he didn't mean it." He quickly told him. "Knux may be a bit of a hardhead, but he's a real softie at heart."

"Watch yourself, hedgehog." Knuckles glared, tossing him the Emerald.

Sonic easily caught it and looked back at the struggling Eggman. "Well, I'd love to stick around and chat, but my friends and I have a new friend that we better take care of. See ya around, Egghead!"

With a laugh the four friends, along with a happily shocked new friend, dashed off away from the fortress and the egg shaped man still struggling to release himself from the robotic tentacles tangled around him.

"GRRR, I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!!!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Sorry I got you wet, Sonic." Shadow shyly apologized as he was carried by the blue hedgehog.

When the two were reunited by the force of Eggman, they forgot that Shadow's fear of the man had made him wet. It didn't occur to them that they were both currently covered in urine until the wind made Shadow's wet fur feel cold.

"It's alright Shadow, it was an accident. Nothing a shower won't fix." Sonic gently assured him. "I bet you haven't had one in a long time, have you?"

"No." Shadow shyly shook his head. "I don't even remember what to do."

"That's ok, I'll help you." Sonic promised.

"And while Sonic's getting you clean, I'll be making something filling for you to eat." Amy said to him. "You must be starving, you poor thing."

"And Knuckles and I will get the guest room set up for you too." Tails added. "And I'll throw your dirty gloves and socks into the wash."

"Absolutely not!" Sonic quickly shook his head. "4 years of wearing the same thing every day has worn them down. Haven't you noticed that they have holes in them?" Sonic then turned to Shadow. "You can borrow some of my gloves and socks until we get you some new ones."

"Ok." Shadow nodded.

"You may not have to." Knuckles frowned as the group finally came up to the home of Sonic and Tails. "Look on the step."

Sonic frowned and looked to the front step, giving a light chuckle when he saw a red box with a golden dragon symbol etched on the lid. A note was attached to it.

_A little birdie told me you'd be getting a new friend. You'll need this._

_Make sure to gently drape the blanket over his shoulders and give him a mug of hot chocolate first._

_The cocoa powder's in the jar._

_Give him the TLC he deserves._

"Oh Guardian, you somehow always know just what we need and when we need it." Sonic laughed.

"Who's Guardian?" Shadow curiously asked.

"Guardian Dragon, an old friend and fan of ours." Sonic chuckled, looking over at Amy. "Could you pick that up and bring it inside, Ames? Then we can go through it later."

"Sure thing." Amy nodded, picking up the special care package and bringing it inside once Tails had the door open. "I'll just go set it on the counter and pull out that blanket and cocoa they mentioned, then I'll go ahead and get dinner started."

"Alright, thanks Ames." Sonic nodded before looking down at the hedgehog in his arms again. "Come on, Shads. Let's head upstairs and get you cleaned up."

"Shads?" Shadow titled his head like a confused dog at the unfamiliar name.

"Heh, sorry, I give nicknames to all of my friends." Sonic smirked as he carried the onyx hedgie upstairs to the bathroom.

"Oh… well, that's ok… I kinda like it." Shadow blushed.

"I'm glad you do."

A moment later, the two hedgehogs were suddenly in the bathroom together. Sonic turned on the light and closed the door behind them before setting the smaller hedgie down onto the toilet lid.

"Wait here while I get the shower ready." Blue told black.

"Ok." Shadow nodded, obeying Sonic as he sat on the toilet, watching his new friend's every move.

Sonic went up to the bathtub and turned on the water, taking his glove off and checking the temperature every so often to make sure it was just right. After about a minute, Sonic pulled the tap up and the showerhead came on.

"Alright," Sonic announced, taking off his other glove, shoes, and socks before kneeling down to the black and maroon hedgehog and doing the same to him. "Let's get these old things off you and get ourselves cleaned up."

"Y-you're going to shower w-with me?" Shadow stuttered with a bright red blush as Sonic pulled off his gloves, throwing the old tattered things away in the garbage can.

"Well, yes, I am." Sonic nodded as he pulled off Shadow's shoes and then his socks, throwing the socks away as well before he started working on unclipping the golden rings around his wrists and ankles. "I was carrying you, so I'm a bit wet as well. We're both guys, so it's not like we have anything to hide. And besides," Sonic looked up to the blushing hedgie, smirking. "You still can't stand on your own, can you?"

Shadow frowned and pulled his arms away once Sonic had his rings off. He pushed against the toilet lid and tried to stand up. He wobbled on his spindly legs for a bit like a newborn foal before suddenly falling over, being caught quickly by his savior.

"I guess not." He sighed sadly, he didn't like being weak.

Sonic gave a gentle smile as he hugged the little hedgehog, softly rubbing his back in comfort.

"It's alright Shads, once we get some food in you, you'll get your strength back." He promised.

"Ok."

"Now come on, let's get washed up before Amy is done with dinner, otherwise the food might get cold."

"Ok."

With that, Sonic lifted Shadow up and stepped into the shower with him, closing the curtain behind them so the water wouldn't splash onto the floor. He allowed Shadow to place his feet back onto the floor of the tub and stand, but still held onto him in case he fell over.

Shadow let out a relaxed sigh as the warm water from the showerhead ran down his body. It felt heavenly. He looked up and blushed a deep crimson when he saw Sonic's body getting wet too, his quills hanging down behind his head, his fur turning a darker blue.

Sonic saw the blush on Shadow's face and he chuckled.

"Shadow." He spoke gently, gaining the ebony's attention. "There's no need to be embarrassed."

Shadow's blush died down a bit and he smiled, leaning against his new friend with his eyes closed as he just let the warm water soak his body. Movement from Sonic caused him to look up again, and he caught the blue blur putting some kind of thick, white liquid into a rag. The container holding the liquid was yellow with an orange teardrop on it.

"I like using baby shampoo when showering." Sonic explained as he closed the container and set it back onto the counter. "It's gentle and tearfree, and it smells nice too."

Sonic held the rag under the water for a bit to get it wet. The soap on it started turning into suds before he took it out and looked to Shadow. "I'll be gentle, I promise." And he began gently rubbing the rag sud-side down against the ebony's body.

Shadow sighed in content as he allowed the blue hedgehog to wash him. His touch was light and gentle, and it felt amazingly good. Never before has anyone ever touched him so gently. He didn't want it to stop. A few seconds in, and he was already addicted.

The smell of the baby shampoo was relaxing and felt light and airy, lathered against his fur. He watched in a relaxed astonishment as the dirt, grime, and blood began to wash away from his body. His dull black fur began to shine, his grey chest fur turned white, and what he thought were maroon stripes turned out to actually be a bright, beautiful red.

"Wow." Shadow looked up when Sonic spoke.

"What?" He asked him.

"Nothing it's just…" Sonic swallowed nervously. "Don't take this the wrong way but… you're gorgeous."

Shadow blushed and shyly looked down, a small smile present on his now brightly tan face.

"Thank you."

**...**

15 minutes later, Sonic and Shadow were done showering and were now drying themselves off with a towel. Sonic was sitting on the toilet with Shadow sitting on his lap as he dried him off. For some reason, the ebony hedgehog was really tired all of a sudden.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Sonic asked him.

"Yes, I'm just really tired." Shadow nodded with a yawn.

"I promise, after you eat you can go to sleep, ok?"

Shadow nodded and laid on Sonic's chest, too tired to keep himself up. Sonic chuckled and finished drying his fur before putting the towel in the laundry hamper. He then took Shadow's rings and began clipping them back on. As he did so, a knock came from the bathroom door.

"Yes?" Sonic called out as he clipped the last ring onto Shadow's ankle before grabbing the quill brush.

"It's Tails," The yellow fox called from outside. "I came to tell you that the guest room is all set up, and Amy is almost done with dinner. She also made some cherry pie for desert."

"Ok, thanks Tails." Sonic answered, gently brushing Shadow's quills into shape, the ebony hedgehog purring as he did so.

"Oh, also…" Tails opened the door just enough to push his arm through. In his hand he was holding a pair of Sonic's gloves and socks, and another pair of gloves and socks that looked a cleaner identical to Shadow's old ones. "You forgot to get these before you started, so I brought them for you. Also, these new ones were in the care package from Guardian."

"Ok, thanks Tails, you can just set them on the counter."

Tails gave a thumbs up and placed the socks and gloves on the counter before closing the door and walking away.

"How does Guardian know what my gloves and socks look like?" Shadow asked curiously, lifting his head to look up at Sonic.

"I don't know, Shads." Sonic shook his head as he finished brushing his new friend's quills back in their upward curves. "It's just something special about them."

"Why do you say them?"

"Because we don't know if Guardian is a boy or a girl." Sonic answered as he reached over for Shadow's new gloves and socks. "We just get a lot of letters from them supporting us and what we do. We never see their face."

"Oh." Shadow nodded as he let Sonic put on his gloves and socks. "Hey Sonic…"

"Yes Shads?"

"When we go downstairs, I wanna try walking down them."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Shads. You're still weak, and you just said that you were tired. I don't want you falling over."

"I know but… I feel a little better now, somehow."

"How is that possible?" Sonic frowned.

Shadow frowned as he began to think. Just a few moments ago he was running low on energy, but now he felt like that energy was being replenished. In fact, it started when…

"The rings." Shadow gasped. "I suddenly remember."

"The rings?" Sonic raised an eyeridge as he looked to the rings he clipped on. "What about them?"

"I remember what the bad man said to me." Shadow started. "He was doing another experiment on me. Trying to run my energy as much as he could before I passed out. He said I had some kind of special energy in me, I can't remember what it was called. But, he said I had a lot of it… more than you actually."

"A special energy that you have more than me?" Sonic frowned. 'He must mean Chaos Energy. But how can he have more than me?'

"Yeah, it sounds stupid." Shadow frowned shyly.

"No, no, it's ok. Continue."

"Well, he said that my rings are supposed to... kinda control this energy. I remember that when he took them off, after a while, I began to feel really tired. He had me strapped down during this. After about an hour, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, and my whole body began to hurt. I remember screaming out in pain, begging for mercy. It was starting to burn, like I was on fire, and just as I thought I was going to pass out and die, he put my rings back on, and it went away."

Sonic was in astonishment. Shadow's body was filled with way too much Chaos Energy, and only his rings… his "inhibitor" rings, kept it under control. This got him curious. What other secrets was this strange hedgehog holding that he didn't know of?

"Well, I promise you Shadow, that will never happen again."

"I know." Shadow smiled with a blush as he shyly looked down. "I believe you… I trust you."

Sonic smiled and hugged the smaller hedgie. Shadow's blush got darker as he hugged back. He didn't know what it was, but there was just something about Sonic that made him feel safe and cared for, even if they just met.

"I'm glad."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A minute later, Sonic and Shadow were heading down the stairs together for dinner. Shadow wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to try walking down the stairs, and he was currently doing so with Sonic holding him up by his wrists, like they were a father trying to teach their toddler son how to walk. Every so often, Shadow would lose his footing, but he never fell as Sonic had a good grip on him, not enough to hurt him but enough to keep him up.

"You're doing great Shads, just a few more steps." Sonic said to him.

Shadow nodded and took another step, planting his foot firmly on the step below him before lowering his other foot right next to it, and then repeated the process. Three steps later, they were finally on the first floor.

"Good job Shadow," Sonic praised him like a father would their child. "I'm so proud of you."

Shadow blushed and looked away sheepishly. "Thanks."

"What's going on?" Amy asked as she came out of the kitchen with a powder blue blanket in her hands.

"Shadow walked down the stairs almost all by himself." Sonic explained.

"Almost?" Knuckles questioned from in the kitchen.

"Yeah, he had to hold onto me so that I didn't fall." Shadow explained.

"Well, at least you tried." Amy smiled, coming up to him and wrapping the blanket over his shoulders like Guardian had said in their letter. "Now come on you two, dinner is ready and I know you must be starving."

As if on cue, Shadow's stomach growled in hunger. Because he was so thin, Sonic and Amy could see the vibrations atop his skin.

"Sorry." Shadow apologized sheepishly.

"There's no need to apologize." Sonic chuckled as he picked the hedgehog up once more. "That just means that you're ready to eat and eat you shall."

"Right, as much as you want." Amy nodded as the three of them went into the kitchen.

In the kitchen was a dinner table just big enough to sit six people. Tails and Knuckles were already sitting next to each other, waiting for the other three to come in. On the table were five bowls with forks and spoons, a cup of water for each diner, and two pans filled with some kind of casserole.

"I made two pans in case Shadow ended up eating one all to himself." Amy explained as she sat at the head of the table next to Tails. "Although I do hope he saves room for desert."

"Cherry pie, right?" Shadow asked her.

"That's right."

"I don't recall ever having cherry pie."

"Amy's cherry pies are the best pies." Sonic exclaimed as he sat Shadow down onto a chair at the table, sitting right next to him across from Tails. "But before we can have pie we must have dinner. So Amy, what did you make for us today?"

"Since because Shadow is really thin and hungry, I decided to make something really filling. It's what my mother would call a "poor" meal. It's a casserole made of rice, baked beans, tomatoes, and bacon in that order."

"Sounds delicious." Tails chuckled.

"Smells good too." Shadow whispered as his mouth watered, his stomach growling loudly in need. This caused another blush as his friends just chuckled in amusement.

"I guess that's our cue to dig in. May we?" Sonic asked the chef.

"You may." Amy nodded.

It turned out that Shadow was hungry enough to eat a whole pan to himself, but there was no complaining from any of the others at the table, they wanted him to eat as much as he could. The only comment that was made was from Sonic when he told Shadow to slow down so he wouldn't choke, which he complied to.

After dinner it was time for desert, and surprisingly, Shadow still had room for it.

"Goodness you _were_ hungry." Amy chuckled good-heartedly as she gave everyone a piece of cherry pie, giving Shadow a bit of a bigger piece with a mug of Guardian's hot chocolate.

"Thank you Amy." Shadow nodded, biting into the cherry pie and sighing in delight, enjoying how the juicy flavor of the cherries exploded in his mouth, along with the delicate crunch of the crust it complimented. "You're a really good cook. All the bad man ever fed me, when he felt like feeding me, was slop. It didn't even look like food."

"Well, that's over and done with now." Sonic assured him, eating a piece of his own pie. "As long as we're around, we won't let Eggman take you again."

"Egg-man?" Shadow frowned, remembering that his friends had said that name before. "Is that what he's called?"

"Yes, that's his name." Tails nodded. "Doctor Eggman Robotnik. His real name is Julian Robotnik. He's the son of Ivo Robotnik. Sonic and I have been at rival with the Robotnik family for years."

"Robotnik." Shadow frowned, sipping his hot chocolate thoughtfully, relishing in its warmth and sweet taste that relaxed his body. "For some reason, that name sounds familiar."

"Probably because Eggman introduced himself to you with that name." Sonic assured him.

'_... I don't think that's it though._' Shadow thought to himself, trying to stifle a yawn, but failing.

"Tired?" Knuckles asked him kindly.

Shadow took another sip of his chocolate drink and yawned again, nodding in affirmation as he sleepily rubbed his eyes.

"Well it is getting late, and it has been a long day for you, hasn't it?" Sonic chuckled, gently rubbing the ebony's back.

Shadow nodded again, finishing the rest of his hot chocolate and eating the last piece of his pie. He barely just swallowed before he started nodding off, leaning against Sonic for support. Sonic chuckled as he gently held him.

"Poor little guy, he's all tuckered out." He whispered. "I think it's time for bed, Tails, mind helping me?"

"Sure thing, Sonic." Tails nodded, standing from his seat and twirling his namesakes as he followed the blue hedgehog upstairs, who was carefully carrying an already sleeping Shadow.

"Just open the door and untuck the sheets." Sonic quietly asked him. "I'll do the rest."

"Ok." Tails nodded as he opened the door to the blue walled guest room. The fox then went up to the black guest bed and untucked the sheets, pulling them down enough to let Sonic lay Shadow's resting body above it.

"Thanks Tails, I'll handle everything else."

Tails nodded and quickly left the room, being as quiet as he could as to not wake the black and red hedgehog. Sonic smiled and pulled Shadow's gloves off, laying them on the bedside dresser next to him. He then pulled the sheets up and gently tucked them around the sleeping hedgehog, making sure he was nice and snug but also not constricted. Gently stroking the striped quills back, Sonic ended the bedtime routine with a gentle kiss atop the ebony's forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Shadow." He whispered before quietly leaving the room, turning off the light and leaving the door open, just a crack.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The night was peaceful. Amy and Knuckles had went home hours ago, allowing Sonic and Tails to head to bed. Everyone was sleeping soundly and peacefully… except for their newest addition, who was currently suffering a horrible nightmare.

Shadow opened his eyes to see that he was all alone, stranded in the middle of darkness. He looked around, trying to find out where he might be or if any of his new friends were around.

"Hello?!" He called into the darkness as he began walking. Nobody answered him. "Hello?! Is anybody here?!"

"Shadow."

Shadow heard his name being whispered all around him. He spun around, trying to see who was calling his name, but he couldn't see anybody. The poor hedgehog was starting to get scared.

"Who's there?!"

Suddenly, four figures began to emerge from the darkness. It was his new friends! Sonic was in the lead of them.

"Oh, Sonic!" Shadow cried in relief, running up to the blue hedgehog and falling into his arms in a tight hug. "I was so scared. I thought I was alone again."

"Shadow." Sonic whispered into his ear. Shadow's ear twitched when he did that and he smiled, until the blue one started hugging him too hard.

"Sonic." He squeaked. "You're… hugging me… too tight."

His savior didn't stop and continued to squeeze him. Shadow started getting scared again. He didn't understand why Sonic was hugging so tight. Was he afraid to lose him? Shadow started to feel out of breath. He couldn't breathe, Sonic was squeezing so tight.

"Sonic… please let go." Shadow gave a soft sob and began trying to release himself from the azure one's grasp.

"Shadow." Sonic held on fast, causing Shadow to struggle even more. "You're weak."

At this, Shadow immediately stopped struggling, looking up in shock.

"What?" He whimpered.

"You're weak. Useless. A disgrace to all hedgehog kind. I wish I had never found you. I wish I never rescued you. I wish you would just drop dead!"

"... You don't mean that." Shadow sobbed. "You can't mean that."

"Oh, but I can, and I do." Sonic sneered, gripping onto the poor ebony's arms, his claws digging into his skin.

Shadow yelped in pain and stared at his "savior" in horror. He started crying and lost control of his bladder once more, the urine flowing down his legs and pooling underneath his feet. Sonic and his friends hissed at the sight.

"Eggman was right." He hissed. "You're just a big baby. The world would be better off without you."

Suddenly, a giant abyss opened up behind the black and red hedgehog. Shadow stared at it in horror and began struggling.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED!"

"Promises can be broken, hedgehog." Sonic hissed before leaning in close to Shadow's ear. "Just like you broke your promise to Maria."

Shadow froze upon that name. Why did it sound so familiar? And what was his promise to her? The poor hedgehog didn't get a chance to think on that, because on that moment, Sonic pushed him into the abyss.

"NOOOOO!" Shadow screamed as he fell. He looked back up at the people who were supposed to be his friends. The same people who rescued him and cared for him just hours before. He was horrified to see them leaving him behind, not even bothering to watch him fall.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" He cried, tears streaming down his face as he continued to fall.

Eventually, his fall came to a stop. He opened his eyes and he gasped in horror.

He was in a padded cell. He could hear screams all around him. He tried to move, but soon realized that he couldn't. He looked down and whimpered and cried as he tried to pull the straightjacket off, but it wouldn't budge.

As the darkness started to come for him again, Shadow wet himself again and opened his mouth to scream… only to realize that no sound would come out.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello again. You guys have been loving this story so much and I have loved writing it so much that, for a second time, I decided to post the next chapter early. This is my favorite chapter so far, and I hope you love it too.**

**Chapter 7**

Sonic heard the screams loud and clear from his room. Recognizing the voice to be Shadow's, he immediately sprang to action and ran to the ebony's room, just right across the hall from him. When he went in, a horrible sight greeted him.

Shadow was all tangled up in his sheets, twisting, turning, and kicking, getting himself even more tangled in the sheets, it must feel like a straightjacket to him. Tears were running down his face in a quick pace as he screamed and cried, calling out for help in his sleep.

Recognizing this to be a nightmare, Sonic quickly ran over to the hedgehog in distress and began trying to wake him up.

"Shadow!" He called, shaking the ebony shoulder. "Shadow wake up! It's ok! You're dreaming, it's ok! Wake up Shadow! Wake up!"

With a final scream Shadow shot up in bed, wide awake with tears in his eyes. He looked around and cried out when he saw Sonic sitting beside him. He cried and began kicking his legs again, trying to untangle the sheets from his body so he could get away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Shadow, it's alright. It's alright." Sonic desperately tried to calm him. "It's alright. It's me. It's Sonic. It's alright."

"Please don't hurt me." Shadow whimpered, staring fearfully into the green eyes he used to trust. "Please."

Sonic was shocked. What on Mobias was Shadow dreaming about?

"Shadow, what makes you think I'm gonna hurt you? I would never do such a thing."

"But you did." Shadow sobbed. "You grabbed my arms and pushed me into the big, dark, scary hole. You called me weak and useless. A disgraceful baby. You left me alone. You promised you'd protect me, but you didn't."

Sonic's heart shattered. Is this really what happened in his nightmare? As a Wiccan, Sonic often knew a lot about dream symbols and what they could mean. To sum it up, Shadow was feeling helpless and having doubts about this new situation he was in, and he was afraid of being abandoned, left to fight for himself again.

Was he truly free?

"Shadow," Sonic whispered. "I never did any of those things. It was a dream, a nightmare. It was all just in your head. It never happened. It was a dream."

Unfortunately, Shadow wouldn't listen. No matter how many times Sonic said it, the fact that it was only a dream wouldn't register in his mind. He was truly terrified of Sonic.

The sight of this ripped the blue hedgehog's heart to shreds. He had tried so hard to befriend this poor abused soul, to gain his trust and prove that he was there to protect him, but this one nightmare may have just ruined it all. He didn't want Shadow to be afraid of him, but with his tortured mind having trouble registering what is fake and what is real, he couldn't trust anything.

That fact is what broke the blue hedgehog.

Sonic couldn't take it anymore. Tears gathered in his eyes as he let out soft sobs, ashamed with himself for scaring the ebony hedgehog in front of him. He was meant to protect him, to make him feel safe and loved. Now, the azure one felt like he had failed the onyx one.

Shadow watched in astonishment as Sonic cried in front of him. He began to feel really guilty. Sonic has been nothing but kind to him and what did he give him in return? Distrust and fear. He supposed he couldn't really blame himself, that nightmare really messed him up.

Yes, he was now beginning to realize that it was just a nightmare. Afterall, Sonic would know if he _had_ pushed the ebony hedgehog, wouldn't he?

Shadow untangled himself and scooted over to his sobbing savior, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Sonic gasped and quickly hugged back, rubbing Shadow's back, not wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Shadow whimpered in guilt. "I know it was a nightmare now. Please don't cry. I still like you."

Sonic took a deep shaky breath and wiped the tears out of his eyes, calming himself down.

"It's ok Shadow. I like you too."

Shadow smiled and rubbed his face into Sonic's neck and hugged him tighter. Sonic blushed and hugged back, just as tight.

Suddenly, Shadow's lower half began to feel cold. His ears pinned to his head and he whimpered softly in shame, knowing what this meant. Of course, this did not go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" Sonic gently asked him.

"U-Umm…" Shadow stuttered, a dark blush appearing on his cheeks as his eyes traveled to the sheets.

Following his gaze, Sonic looked down at the sheets as well, but he didn't see anything wrong with them. At least not on top.

Guessing what may have happened, Sonic gently pulled the sheets down and he sighed as his suspicions were confirmed.

The bed was absolutely soaked in urine.

Hearing Sonic sigh, Shadow began to cry again.

"I'm sorry." He sobbed.

"It's ok, Shadow, it's ok." Sonic quickly comforted him. "It was an accident. They happen. I know you were scared. It happens. I'm not mad."

"Are you disappointed?" Shadow shakily breathed.

"No, I'm not disappointed either. And before you ask, I'm not annoyed either. I'm just worried about you."

"Why?"

"I'm worried there may be something wrong with your bladder. That Eggman may have done something to it to make it weaker than it should be. Course, I may just be overreacting." Sonic shook his head. "Come on. We can get you cleaned up real quick and then you can sleep with me. I'll put the sheets in the wash and then we can clean the mattress in the morning."

"Ok."

**…**

15 minutes later, Shadow was all clean from his bath and the sheets from his bed were in the wash. He was currently laying in Sonic's bed, hugging onto said hedgehog with his head on his chest.

"You sure you don't mind this?" Shadow asked him.

"Of course I don't mind." Sonic smiled sweetly at him. "I don't mind at all."

"But… what if I wet the bed again?"

"Then we'll clean up and move on. Accidents happen, Shadow. They can't always be controlled."

"You sure you won't get mad?"

"I'm sure." Sonic suddenly gave Shadow a gentle kiss atop his forehead, making the ebony blush, but surprisingly, the ebony didn't mind either. "Now close your eyes and sleep, Shads."

"... I'm too scared to." Shadow sniffed. "I don't wanna have another nightmare."

Sonic felt sorry for the poor hedgehog. He really was just like a child. Well, a childish problem usually had a childish solution.

"Hey Shadow," He started. "I know you're not a baby, but what if I sang you a lullaby? Do you think that might help?"

"... Maybe. … We could try."

"Ok. I'll sing you one of my childhood favorites."

With that, Sonic pulled him close and started to sing.

_Baby mine, don't you cry._

_Baby mine, dry your eyes._

_Rest your head close to my heart,_

_Never to part, baby of mine._

Immediately, Shadow relaxed to the song, enjoying Sonic's sweet voice.

_Little one, when you play,_

_Pay no heed what they say._

_Let your eyes sparkle and shine,_

_Never a tear, baby of mine._

As he listened to the song, Shadow couldn't help but feel that he had heard this song before. Like someone else used to sing it to him, long ago.

_If they knew all about you,_

_They'd end up loving you, too._

_All those same people who scold you,_

_What they'd give just for the right to hold you._

Yes, there it was. A distant memory slowly fading in. He was a baby, barely a week old. He was being held by someone. Someone with blue eyes and blonde hair. She had a sweet voice. She was singing the same song.

_From your head down to your toes,_

_You're not much, goodness knows._

_But, you're so precious to me,_

_Sweet as can be, baby of mine._

Shadow's eyes began to feel heavy and he let out a soft yawn, allowing sleep to take over as he listened to the last verse from Sonic.

_So baby mine, don't you cry._

_Baby mine, dry your eyes._

_Rest your head close to my heart,_

_Never to part, baby of mine._

_Baby of mine._

And just like that, Shadow was once again fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next morning, the bright sun softly shone it's rays through Sonic's white curtains as it rose into the heavens, awakening to announce a bright new shiny day.

Sonic slowly opened his eyes out of sleep and yawned, allowing the fresh oxygen to awaken his brain. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his left hand as he clutched onto Shadow with his right arm. When he looked down to see if he was awake yet, Sonic was shocked.

Instead of an ebony and crimson hedgehog, Sonic was holding onto a white fluffy pillow.

"Shadow?" The blue hedgehog sat up, looking around for his new friend, but he was nowhere to be seen in his room.

Sonic got out of bed and went out to the hallway. "Shadow?" He called again, but he got no answer. "Was it a dream?"

Confused, Sonic went to the guest room and opened the door. The sheets from the bed were missing and there was a large urine spot on the mattress. White gloves with red and black cuffs still laid on the bedside dresser. Remembering that Shadow had accidentally wet the bed last night due to a nightmare, Sonic was assured that it wasn't a dream.

But if that was so, then where was the young-minded hedgehog?

"Good morning, Sonic."

Sonic turned around and was greeted by Tails. The fox was wide awake and freshly showered, he must've woke up about an hour ago.

"Good morning, Tails." Sonic greeted back. "Hey, have you seen Shadow? He wasn't in bed when I woke up."

"I thought I saw him heading downstairs before I went into the shower."

"OW!" A painful whine suddenly yelped downstairs.

"That sounded like him." Tails frowned.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"Shads, you alright?" Sonic called downstairs.

Suddenly, the smoke alarm went off around the house. Panicking, Sonic and Tails ran downstairs and were shocked to see smoke coming from the kitchen.

"Shadow!" Sonic gasped and ran into the kitchen, Tails following close behind.

In the kitchen, panicking with the handle of a smoking pan in his hands held at arms length, was Shadow the Hedgehog. He turned to his friends and cried out in terror.

"Sonic, Tails, help! I don't know what to do!"

"Put the pan down, Shads!" Sonic gasped and ran to the sink. "Tails, turn the stove off!"

Shadow quickly put the pan back on the stove as Tails quickly turned it off. Sonic reached under the sink and pulled out the fire extinguisher before rushing to the stove. He pulled the pin out and aimed the nozzle at the pan on the stove before squeezing the lever, spraying CO2 onto the smoking fire and putting it out. Tails flew up to the smoke alarm and unplugged it, turning the loud beeping noise off.

When the fire was out and the stove was covered in foam, Sonic put the fire extinguisher down and turned to Shadow, who was currently cowaring in the corner of the kitchen, tears dripping from his eyes in shame. He also seemed to be nursing his hand.

"Shadow, are you ok?" Sonic asked him in a worried tone as he promptly approached him.

"*sniff* Yeah." Shadow sniffed. "I just burnt my hand a little."

"Let me see."

Hesitantly, Shadow held his left hand out to Sonic, exposing the slightly blistering wound to his blue savior. Sonic gently took his hand and inspected the wound.

"Tails, could you get the first aid kit?"

"Sure thing Sonic."

As Tails flew out of the kitchen to fetch the kit, Sonic gently lead Shadow over to the sink. He turned on the cold water and gently took Shadow's hand.

"This will help with the burning and will clean the wound." He explained as he gently guided the ebony's hand underneath the cold running water.

Shadow sighed in relief as the water's coldness quickly numbed the pain.

Although Sonic was glad that Shadow wasn't hurt too bad, he was still incredibly worried and a bit upset.

"Shadow what were you doing? What were you thinking? You could've gotten seriously hurt." He ranted worriedly.

Shadow's bottom lip quivered as he quickly came to terms that he was in trouble.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." He softly sobbed. "I just wanted to do something nice for you and Tails to show my gratitude. I was trying to make pancakes for you, but I was having trouble reading the cookbook. I guess after four years of not using literature, I've forgotten how to read, so I just tried to guess by looking at the pictures."

"Oh Shadow." Sonic cooed gently as he wiped Shadow's tears away. "That's very sweet of you, but you didn't have to do that for us. We saved you because we wanted to, and because it's the right thing to do."

"I still wanted to do something in return."

"I know." Sonic smiled gently as he brought their foreheads together. "You can still do that, but this time, let me help you, ok? I'll read you the instructions as you follow along, ok?"

Shadow smiled, his eyes half-lidded as he looked down to the floor bashfully, enjoying Sonic's closeness.

"Ok."

"Ahem!"

Both hedgehogs jumped at the sound of someone seeking attention by fakely clearing their voice. They turned to the doorway of the kitchen and Shadow blushed with embarrassment when they saw Tails standing there, awkwardly looking at them with the first aid kit in his hand.

"Am I interrupting something?" The fox nervously asked.

'_Yes_' Shadow thought glumly as Sonic pulled his forehead away.

"No Tails." The blue hedgehog smiled at his younger brother. "Shadow was just telling me that he was trying to make pancakes to show his gratitude to us, but apparently he forgot how to read."

"Well, I guess four years locked away and tortured will do that to you." Tails nodded as he approached them. "Here's the first aid kit."

"Thanks Tails." Sonic took the kit and turned back to Shadow, turning the sink off. "Come on, Shads. Come sit on the chair and let's take care of that burn wound."

Shadow nodded as he let Sonic guide him to one of the dining chairs around the table. He sat down on the chair and held his hand out as Sonic knelt down on the floor in front of him. He opened the kit and pulled out a little white tube with a green label.

"This is aloe vera, a very special burn gel." Sonic explained as he unscrewed the cap and squeezed some of the green gel onto his fingers. "It's gonna be a little cold."

"Ok." Shadow nodded.

With that, Sonic began to gently spread the burn gel onto Shadow's wound. Shadow shivered at the cold touch, and small smile spread across his face at the amazing feeling of Sonic being so gentle with him.

"And now for the bandage." Sonic smiled as he reached into the kit again and pulled out a small square band aid. He pulled the sticker off and gently applied it to the wound, smoothing out the creases. "And there. All done."

"Thank you, Sonic." Shadow blushed behind his smile.

"Hey lovehogs." Tails teased. "If you guys are done here, I cleaned off the foam from the stove in case you want to retry making breakfast."

"First of all, Shadow and I are not lovehogs." Sonic rolled his eyes as he stood up from the floor. "Second of all, it's really up to Shadow."

"Oh, um, yes." Shadow stuttered, a little flustered from Tails comment. He kinda liked the word. _Lovehogs_. "Yes, I wanna try making breakfast again, with your help of course. But…"

"... But what, Shadow?" Sonic asked him in a worried tone.

"What about my… um…" Shadow's face was beet red in embarrassment. "My little… mess… last night?"

Sonic quickly caught on to what he was saying and he nodded, gently taking Shadow by the elbow.

"We'll clean it up after breakfast." He assured him.

"I'm not even gonna ask, it's none of my business." Tails quickly said.

Shadow smiled in gratitude.

"Thanks Tails, now let's make breakfast and hope I don't burn it this time."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

With Sonic's help, Shadow was able to make beautiful and delicious blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. It was absolutely delicious and Shadow felt so proud when his two friends complimented his cooking, even if Sonic _did_ help him do most of it.

After breakfast, Tails started washing the dishes as Sonic gathered some cleaning products from under the sink. Tails continued to say nothing about it as the two hedgehogs went upstairs with the products, going into Shadow's room to start cleaning the mattress.

"Anything I can help with?" The ebony hedgehog asked the blue one hopefully, feeling awkward just standing there and watching Sonic clean his mess. Sonic looked up and smiled at him.

"Yeah sure, actually, your sheets need to be switched over to the dryer. The laundry room is across the hall from the bathroom. Just take the sheets out of the washer and put them in the dryer, turn the dial to 60 minutes and press start. Think you can do that, or do you need my help?"

"I think I can handle on my own." Shadow nodded.

"Alright then." Sonic nodded and went back to scrubbing the mattress.

Shadow nodded and left the room, following Sonic's directions to find the laundry room. When he got there, he looked around. The room wasn't a very big one, just enough to keep the necessities of launder care in it. There was a long metal pole attached to the wall to his left, hangers holding jackets and scarfs kept there for when the colder season starts, some even held towels. A basket was pushed up against the other wall, filled with dirty gloves and socks, waiting to be washed, with some kind of laundry detergent sitting next to it. And against the wall across from Shadow, were two big machines. Shadow guessed these to be the washer and dryer, as he could see his slightly damp sheets through the little glass window on one of the machines.

Following Sonic's further instructions, Shadow opened the door of both machines and began pulling his sheets out of the washer, putting them in the dryer next to it. When that was done, he closed the door and looked at the buttons on the machine. There was dial like Sonic had said, with numbers going around it. He reached over and turned the dial to the number 60, then pressed the green button, assuming that was the start button.

The machine whirred to life and Shadow looked through the window, watching as his bed sheets began to spin around and around, slowly being dried.

Shadow felt so proud.

He had done something productive all by himself!

Now if only he could remember how to read... and how to wake himself up in time enough to use the restroom before having an accident. He sighed as he looked into the basket to find the lone white towel with a yellow stain on it, the towel the hedgehog had used to quickly clean up the mess he had made in front of the bathroom door that same morning after he failed to hold it.

Before Shadow could think more on it, however, a knock came from downstairs.

Curious, Shadow left the laundry room and peered downstairs to the front door, where he could see Tails about to open it. Once he did, Shadow still couldn't see outside, but he could hear voices.

"Hey Tails." That was Knuckles voice, Shadow remembered. "Amy and I just wanted to stop by and check up on Shadow. You know, just see how he's doing."

"Then _why_, pray tell, is everybody else here?" Tails hissed, obviously very annoyed by however many people there were.

"Well, after I got back to Angel Island, I caught Rouge trying to steal the Master Emerald again while I was gone." Knuckles explained.

"I was curious to know where he went yesterday anyway, so I asked." A new sultry female voice spoke up. "And he told me everything. After finding out about a new friend, well, I couldn't help myself. I had to go to the Chaotix and tell them."

"That's why we're here." Said a rather gravelly voice. "We wanna meet the new guy."

"And as for everyone else," Shadow recognized Amy's voice. "I told Cream and Vanilla about it, and then Cream told Blaze."

"I then told Silver and Marine about the new friend, and they wanted to meet him as well." Another new female voice, this one much softer, spoke up. "I'm sorry if this causes stress."

"Well, it makes sense that you all would want to meet him." Tails sighed, still standing in the doorway, keeping everyone from coming in. "But while it might not cause any stress for me and Sonic, I can't say the same for Shadow. He scares easily and isn't used to being around so many people."

"If we stress him out too much, we'll leave, right Cream?" Said a motherly voice.

"That's right momma." Answered a little girl's voice. "I wouldn't want to scare Mr. Shadow, right Cheese."

"Chao Chao." Answered another voice, a bit higher than the girl's.

"Well, I guess I don't have any choice." Tails sighed, stepping away from the door. "Come on in. You can wait in the living room. Sonic and Shadow are busy upstairs."

"Doing what?" Knuckles frowned as he came in.

"I don't know and I won't ask." Tails shook his head. "None of my business and none of yours either."

"Fair enough." Knuckles nodded and went into the living room, followed quickly by Amy.

Shadow was grateful that Tails had kept quiet about his nighttime accident, but as he watched the people coming through the door, he froze, anxiety slowly seeping into his being.

After Amy and Knuckles came in, they were quickly followed by other Mobians.

A white female bat.

A green male crocodile.

A purple male chameleon.

A childish male bee.

A mother rabbit and her daughter, who was holding some kind of blue creature.

A purple female cat.

A white male hedgehog.

And a female raccoon.

There were… too many people.

Shadow could feel himself hyperventilating as he secretly watched them all come in, one by one, all heading out into the living room.

All these people, just for him.

It was too much.

With tears silently rolling down his face, Shadow made a mad dash to his room, where Sonic was just finished with putting a plastic sheet over the mattress. Shadow will ask about that later. Right now, he needed comfort from all the scary people downstairs.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sonic was thrown for a very confusing loop when Shadow suddenly barged into the room, tears streaming down his face as he ran straight to the blue hedgehog, falling against him and crying into his chest.

Instincts kicking in, Sonic quickly wrapped his arms protectively around the shivering black body.

"Shadow, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm scared." The young-minded hedgehog whimpered.

"What are you scared of?" Sonic asked gently, trying to understand as he gently brushed Shadow's quills.

"Amy and Knuckles are here, but they didn't come alone."

"What do you mean?"

"They told people about last night, and now they're all here, wanting to see me, but there's too many people. I'm afraid." Shadow sniffed. "I wouldn't mind if it was one or two, maybe even three, but from what I could count, there are 10 strangers downstairs."

"Ah, I see." Sonic nodded, understanding now that the rest of his friends must be here. That probably would be pretty terrifying if that many strangers were waiting for him. "It's alright Shadow, I think I know who you are talking about, and I assure you, there's nothing to be afraid of. They're my friends too. And any friend of mine is a friend of theirs. That's all they want, Shads. They want to be your friend."

"But, there's so many." Shadow trembled.

Sonic hummed in thought. How was he going to work around this?

"Alright, I have an idea." He finally smiled. "How about you sit right here, and I'll bring them in to meet you, one by one, until you've met everybody? That way, you won't be overwhelmed."

"I guess that could work." Shadow nodded.

"Great." Sonic gently guided Shadow to the bed and gently sat him down. He then grabbed the ebony's gloves off of the bedside table and handed to him, the same for his shoes, which he had placed under the bed last night. "Then you go ahead and get ready, I'll go downstairs and try to figure out who to bring up first."

"Can you bring Amy and Knuckles up first?" Shadow sheepishly asked as he pulled his gloves on, then struggled to pull his shoes on. "Knuckles said they wanted to check up on me. I kinda wanna see them again too."

"Of course, Shadow." Sonic smiled as he gently bent down and helped him put his shoes on. "Alright, you're all dressed and ready. I'll go downstairs and tell the others what's going on, then I'll bring Amy and Knuckles up. Should I get Tails too?"

"Yeah, that's ok." Shadow nodded.

"Alright." Sonic pressed his forehead against Shadow's gently. "I'll be right back. Sit tight."

With that, Sonic left the room, leaving Shadow sitting on his plastic bed, feeling very hot and flustered after Sonic's caring touch.

**…**

Sonic walked down the stairs and into the living room, where he was immediately greeted by all of his friends. Oh yeah, Shadow would surely have a HUGE panic attack if he was to walk into this.

"Hey Sonic," Knuckles greeted him. "How's it going?"

"Hello Knuckles," Sonic nodded to him and everybody. "I see it's not just you and Amy, but _everybody_."

"Sorry Sonic. We kinda let it slip that we have a new friend named Shadow and they all wanted to meet him." Amy explained.

"I understand." Sonic sighed. "Though he kinda overheard you guys when you came in."

"Oh dear," Vanilla frowned in concern. "Where is the little dear?"

"I'm afraid he's upstairs in his room, too scared out of his wits to come down here." Sonic explained. "He's really nervous around new people and has serious trust issues."

"Oh dear, it sounds bad." Marine gasped.

"It is unfortunately. Eggman has done a lot to him. I don't know what exactly, and I won't ask. All I know is that he's like a small child. A mind more young and innocent than Charmy's."

"Aaawww." The group couldn't help but coo in concern.

"He is very nervous, but…" Sonic continued. "He is willing to meet you all, but you're gonna have to go in small groups, no more than three. Better yet, he'd likely be more comfortable if it was just one person at a time. Is that ok with you?"

"Of course," Rouge replied, followed by the agreement of everybody else. "We wouldn't want to scare the poor dear."

"Alright, that's good." Sonic nodded before turning to his three immediate friends. "First thing's first though, Knuckles, Amy, Tails. Shadow asked specifically for you three first."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Amy, Knuckles, and Tails all followed Sonic upstairs to Shadow's room. When they entered, Shadow perked up a little and gave them a shy smile.

"Hi guys." He greeted softly.

"Hey Shadow," Knuckles greeted back. "How are you feeling bud?"

"A little better than yesterday." Shadow answered. "I've gotten the hang of walking by myself. I'm not as hungry anymore, either, Sonic and Tails keep me pretty well-fed. I tried making breakfast today, but ended up burning it the first time. Sonic helped me with the second batch though. And… oh! I switched my sheets over to the dryer all by myself earlier!"

"That's very good, Shadow." Amy praised happily.

"Why were your sheets in the wash in the first place?" Knuckles frowned curiously. "And what's with the plastic bed sheet? I don't remember Tails and I putting it on there yesterday."

"Knuckles, that's none of your…" Sonic started, but Shadow quickly cut him off.

"No, it's ok." Shadow sighed sadly. "I… kinda wanna talk about it anyway."

Sonic frowned in disapproval, until he realized what exactly he wanted to talk about.

"Shadow, are you sure?" He asked him.

"Yes, I'm sure." Shadow sighed. "It's why I wanted them up here to begin with."

The room was silent.

"What's going on?" Tails asked.

"... I had a nightmare last night." Shadow sighed. "A nightmare so bad that I wet the bed. That's why my sheets were in the wash."

Silence.

"What was it about?" Amy cautiously asked.

Shadow sighed and began telling his friends about his awful nightmare, word for word, recalling the terror, and the sense of helplessness and betrayal. When he had finished, his friends were shocked and Shadow was crying once more. Sonic was by his side the moment the first tear dropped.

"Ssshhhh, it's ok, it's ok." Sonic whispered gently, holding Shadow tight. "It's ok. It was a nightmare. That'll never happen."

"Sonic's right, Shadow." Tails agreed. "We're friends until the end."

"We'd never abandon you, Shadow." Knuckles added.

"And if you ever feel that way, you come to us straight away, and we'll purge those awful thoughts with our love." Amy promised.

Shadow sniffed and sat up, wiping his tears out of his eyes. He looked up at his friends and smiled.

"Thank you, guys."

"Hey, it's what we do." Sonic purred, touching his forehead against Shadow's once more. Shadow purred and gently rubbed his face against Sonic's, a bright red blush appearing on both of their cheeks.

"Hehe, you sure you guys aren't lovehogs?" Tails teased.

"Yes Tails, I'm sure we're not." Sonic huffed in annoyance. "I'm pretty sure I'd know if we were, and I doubt Shadow even knows what that means."

At this, Shadow whimpered. He really liked the idea of _lovehogs_, especially with Sonic, even if Sonic was right and he didn't really know what it meant. He liked the feeling he got whenever Sonic showed him his kindness and care. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. Was this what friendship was? If so, then why didn't he feel this way with Amy, or Knuckles, or even Tails? Was there something more to it?

Shadow's audible whimper immediately caught Sonic's attention.

"I'm sorry, Shadow." He apologized quickly. "Did I yell in your ear?"

Shadow began to mentally panic. He couldn't tell Sonic that he wanted to be lovehogs, he was certain he'd get mad. He needed to think of an excuse, without making Sonic feel guilty for nothing.

"Uh, no." He stuttered slowly. "I just… have to use the bathroom."

Sonic gave a gentle smile and gently pulled Shadow to his feet.

"Then go ahead and go, I'll go downstairs and figure out who to bring up first. Unless there's a particular order you wanna meet them?"

"Umm…" Shadow thought as he pretended to cross his legs, keeping his charade up. "I think I'd like to meet the cat first. She seemed nice and quiet."

"Ok," Sonic nodded and gently patted his back. "Then hurry and run to the bathroom, and I'll go downstairs and bring her up. Go on now, before you have an accident."

Shadow nodded and quickly ran to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

He sat with his back against the door, killing time until Sonic would bring the cat upstairs to his room. He didn't really need to go, an act put up just so that he wouldn't have to tell Sonic about his unusual feelings for him.

Was this normal?

And if not...

Was something wrong with him?


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Blaze The Cat**

A few minutes later, Shadow was sitting on his bed, waiting for Sonic and the cat to come upstairs. Amy, Knuckles, and Tails had stayed with him, serving as moral support during the wait. At last, a knock came from the door.

"Come in." Shadow gulped nervously.

Sonic opened the door and quietly led the purple cat inside. He gently closed the door behind him, their conversations private from the waiting audience downstairs.

"Shadow," He said to the ebony hedgehog. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Blaze the Cat. Blaze, this is Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Hello dear." Blaze greeted quietly with a gentle smile on her face.

"H-Hi." Shadow stuttered nervously. "I-It's nice to meet you, Blaze."

"It's lovely to meet you too, Shadow." Blaze knelt down in front of him, making herself smaller and less intimidating, like Sonic had told her. "There's no need to be nervous, I won't hurt you."

"I-I know… Sonic said that you just want to be my friend."

"Sonic's right, sweetie, we all just want to be your friend." Blaze nodded. "How about I tell you a little about myself? Would you like that?"

"U-Ugh… s-sure."

"Ok then. Well, my name is Blaze the Cat, and I am a Fire Princess from the Sol Dimension."

"Sol Dimension?" Shadow frowned in confusion. "Fire Princess? What are those?"

"Well, a Fire Princess is a girl who is royalty and has the power to control fire." Blaze explained. "That's actually where my name comes from. Blaze, as in the blaze of a fire."

"So you can control fire?" Shadow asked curiously.

"Yes, would you like to see?"

Unsure, Shadow turned to Sonic, silently asking for permission. Sonic smiled and gave a small nod.

"It's alright Shadow, she's very good at controlling her powers."

"Well…" Shadow started. "If Sonic's ok with it, then yes, I'd like to see."

Blaze smiled and held up her hand. With a single snap of her fingers, a small flame of fire engulfed her palm. Shadow stared in awe at the beautiful red and golden ball of heat on Blaze's hand, intrigued to touch it.

"Wow." He whispered, holding his hand up to it.

"Don't touch it, sweetie." Blaze quickly pulled her hand away. "You might burn yourself."

Remembering the burn he got this morning, Shadow quickly pulled his hand away, not wanting to go through it again.

"How do you do that without burning yourself?" He asked her.

"It's a gift." Blaze explained, blowing the fire out. "I've learned to control my fire so that I don't hurt myself or those around me."

"Do you use it when you fight?"

"Of course I do. It is very handy in battle, but I also use it when it benefits me and those around me. Like when a campfire needs to be lit, or a dark place needs light."

"Whoa." Shadow looked like a kid in a candy store, really impressed. "What about the Sol Dimension? What's that?"

"Well, the Sol Dimension is actually where I'm from. It's like your world, with many similarities, but differences too."

"You mean you're from another world?" Shadow gasped. "I didn't know there were other worlds."

"Most people don't, sweetheart." Blaze chuckled. "But yes, I'm from another world. I ended up here because of the Sol Emeralds, which are a lot like this world's Chaos Emeralds. I'm sure you saw the yellow one yesterday?"

"Yes, I did see the em-er-ald?" Shadow looked to Sonic for confirmation. Sonic gave him a proud nod. "There's more than one?"

"Yes, there's actually seven Chaos Emeralds, as well as seven Sol Emeralds."

"What happens when all seven are together?"

"Well, it really all depends on who has them." Blaze chuckled nervously. "I'm sure Sonic will be able to explain it to you better than I can. He has more experience with their power than I."

"Oh." Shadow gave a disappointed frown, then perked back up. "Do you think I could see your dimension some day?"

"Of course." Blaze chuckled. "I'd love to show you around. There's much about the Sol Dimension that is very beautiful."

"Awesome!" Shadow giggled like a small child. "It was great meeting you Blaze. I think you're a great friend."

"It was lovely meeting you too, Shadow. And I'm sure you'll love everybody else just as much."

With that, Blaze stood up and left the room, giving one last gentle smile towards the young-minded hedgehog.

"I like her, she's nice." Shadow giggled, swinging his legs a little against his bed.

"I'm very happy to hear it." Sonic chuckled, kneeling down beside him. "Who would you like to meet next?"

"U-umm." Shadow thought, suddenly nervous again. "Maybe… the purple lizard?"

"He's a chameleon, sweetheart." Amy giggled. "I'll go get him this time."

"Thanks Amy." Sonic nodded to her as she left to get the next guest. "You'll like him Shadow. He's a very interesting character."

"I hope so." Shadow gulped.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here's another chapter. I'm actually trying to kinda speed through the chapters of Shadow meeting the rest of the gang, because I'm eager to get to the actual plot of the story. So, for the time being, until Shadow has met everybody, every chapter where he meets a new friend, I will post immediately. ;)**

**Chapter 13: Espio the Chameleon**

A few minutes later, Amy came back upstairs, but for some odd reason, she was alone.

"Amy, where's Espio?" Sonic frowned in concern.

"Blaze told the others about how Shadow is easily fascinated by powers," Amy explained as she closed the door. "So he wanted to surprise Shadow with his."

"What's his power?" Shadow asked curiously.

"Hello."

Shadow was immediately startled when the purple chameleon suddenly appeared out of thin air. Though, as surprised as he was, he was also fascinated.

"Whoa!" He shouted in surprise.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Espio asked calmly.

"A-a little… but I'm ok." Shadow answered nervously.

"Be careful Espio, he scares easily, remember?" Sonic scolded him.

"It's ok, Sonic." Shadow quickly assured him. "I was more surprised than scared. So, your name is Espio?"

"Yes, and your name is Shadow, correct?"

"Yes… what was that? How did you appear so suddenly?"

"I was camouflaged."

"Camouflaged?"

"Yes. As a chameleon, I have the ability to blend in with my surroundings, so I become completely invisible."

"Cool" Shadow smiled, causing Espio to give a small chuckle.

"Wanna know what else is cool?"

"What?"

"I'm a ninja."

"A ninja?" Shadow frowned in confusion. "What's that?"

"Well, I suppose the proper definition of it would be a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for espionage and assassinations." Espio explained. "Martial arts is a type of fighting style. I use it a lot in battle, as well as my camouflage abilities."

"Like how Blaze uses her fire powers!" Shadow beamed.

"Exactly. It also comes in handy when I'm doing detective work with my team."

"Your team?"

"Yes, Vector the Crocodile and Charmy Bee. They're not only my team, they're my friends. And the three if us make up the detective agency known as The Chaotix."

"I thought I heard that name earlier." Shadow frowned. "So, the crocodile and the bee are your team?"

"That's right, young one." Espio nodded. "Would you like to meet them?"

Shadow looked down in thought. He was comfortable with meeting everybody one at a time, but he knew that if it kept up, it would take a while until he's met everybody. Conflicted, Shadow looked up to Sonic for guidance.

"It's your decision, Shadow." He told him. "Whatever you're comfortable with, it's fine."

"Vector and Charmy are quite harmless." Espio assured. "Sure, Vector is a bit of a dunce, and Charmy can be a bit hyper, but they mean well and I trust them with my life."

"O-oh." Shadow stuttered. If Espio trusted them enough to put his own life in their hands, then surely they can't be that bad, right? "Then yes… I'd like to meet them."

Espio smiled and gave a small nod, turning to the door.

"Then I will go and bring them up."

"Why don't you bring Silver up while you're at it." Knuckles chuckled. "Since because you trust more than your life with him."

"Knuckles, that's uncalled for and totally inappropriate." Amy scolded.

"Amy is quite right." Espio agreed, his hand on the door as he had his eyes closed and a large blush on his cheeks. "After all, there are child-like minds present."

With that, Espio opened the door and left, leaving Shadow very confused about what just happened.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Vector and Charmy**

"What was that about?" Shadow asked when Espio left.

"Nothing Shadow." Sonic sighed. "Knuckles just likes to tease Espio because him and Silver are in a relationship, and Espio has kinda taken up the female roll. That's what we call a Uke."

"A Uke?" Shadow tilted his head in curiosity. "The female roll? What exactly do you mean?"

"Well, you know how Tails keeps teasing us about being lovehogs, even though we're not." Sonic sent a warning glare to his younger brother, who held his hands up in playful surrender.

"Yeah."

"Well, that's basically what Silver and Espio are. They're lovers."

"But… they're both boys… aren't they?" Shadow frowned in confusion. "Why would Espio need to take up the roll of a female to be with Silver?"

Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Tails looked at each other, unsure how they were supposed to answer this. Shadow's mind was still in its child-like stage. They were willing to bet that he hasn't quite had "The Birds and The Bees" talk yet.

"Eh, we'll save that talk for when your mind has matured a bit." Sonic chuckled nervously, which earned him a pout.

"I'm as old as you, according to Tails." Shadow huffed. "I'm mature."

"Your body may be mature, but your mind is not." Sonic chuckled. "You're basically a 4 year old in a 15 year old's body."

"Is that bad?" Shadow whimpered.

"I wouldn't say it's necessarily bad," Sonic shook his head. "Unusual, maybe, but definitely not bad."

"Sonic's right, Shadow." Tails quickly piped up. "There are plenty of people who have child-like minds like you."

"Well… I guess if it's not bad." Shadow shrugged.

"It's not, trust me." Sonic smiled, laying a hand on the ebony's shoulder.

Shadow smiled and laid his own hand on top of Sonic's.

"I do trust you."

Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Shadow smiled, knowing it had to be Espio with his friends.

"Come in." He invited.

Sure enough, Espio walked in through the door, followed by the crocodile and the bee. They both looked friendly enough. It was just the bee was jumping around a bit, excited to introduce himself.

"Shadow, this is Charmy and Vector." Espio introduced them. "My friends and teammates. Fellas, this is Shadow."

"Hey there, little fella." Vector greeted the ebony hedgehog. "It's great to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Shadow nodded back shyly.

"Hi Shadow! I'm Charmy! It's awesome to finally meet you! Rouge didn't tell us much about you. I have so many questions! Where are you from? What's your last name? What powers can you do? What's your favorite food? Do you like chocolate or vanilla? How old are you exactly? Are you a day person or a night person? Who's your best friend? What did Eggman do to you? You're really thin. Are you anorexic? What's with the scar on your stomach? Sonic said that you have a mind younger than me. What did he mean by that? How young do you think I am?"

As Charmy continued to spout questions at Shadow, the ebony hedgehog began to feel his anxiety creeping. This child was speaking too fast and had way too many questions. Some of them he couldn't even answer, and some he'd rather not answer.

"Charmy, that's enough." Sonic scolded. "You're scaring him."

Shadow gave a soft whimper and snuggled up to Sonic, begging to be held, which the blue hedgehog promptly did so. At this, Charmy was filled with guilt.

"Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare him." He frowned sadly, his antennae drooping. "Gosh, he really does scare easily."

"You were warned that he does, Charmy." Espio scolded. "I don't know what made you think it was appropriate to be hyper like that."

Charmy was incredibly guilty now. He never meant any harm. Shadow saw this and felt obligated to cheer him up. After all, he was just a child.

"It's ok, Charmy." He assured the bee nervously. "You're just a kid. I understand. And I forgive you."

At this, Charmy did his best to give a calm smile.

"Thanks Shadow. You're very forgiving."

"I learn from the best." Shadow smiled, looking up at Sonic, who chuckled in response. "Some of the questions you've asked I really can't answer, and others I really don't feel like it. Is there anything else you wanna ask instead?"

"... I guess… why can't you answer some of my questions?"

"... Because I have no memory." Shadow answered. "I can't remember anything before the bad man, er, Eggman, captured me. The only thing I remember… is my name."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." Charmy apologized sympathetically.

"It's ok, I've grown used to it." Shadow shrugged, then smiled. "Do you have any powers? Blaze and Espio did."

"No, I don't have any powers." Charmy shook his head. "But Vector does."

"That's right." The croc announced proudly. "Ever seen a fire breather, kid?"

"A fire breather?" Shadow tilted his head. "Does that mean you can breathe fire?"

"It certainly does." Vector boasted. "Wanna see?"

Before Shadow could answer though, Vector took a deep breath and exhaled into the air, a stream of reddish orange fire spraying from his mouth.

Shadow watched on nervously. The air in the room was getting hotter, and the ebony hedgehog feared that the crocodile might accidentally set something on fire. Sonic seemed to think this too, as he cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Ok Vector, I think that's enough." He told him. "Don't wanna show off too much and end up burning the place."

"Yeah, good point." Vector agreed as he stopped his fire breath, looking back at Shadow. "Do you have any powers, Shadow?"

Shadow remembered that this was one of the questions Charmy asked in his fountain of questions. Curious, Shadow thought hard to recall any powers that he might have, but none came to mind.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I can't remember if I do or not. And if I do, I don't remember how to use them."

"That's ok Shadow." Sonic assured him. "Maybe sometime in the near future, we'll try to figure out if you do or not. Would you like that?"

"Yeah!" Shadow replied excitedly.

"Cool, well, it was nice meeting you, Shadow." Charmy beamed.

"It was nice meeting you too, Charmy, Vector, Espio." Shadow nodded to each Chaotix member.

The Chaotix nodded back and began to leave. Just as Espio was about to walk through the door, Shadow called out to him.

"Excuse me, Espio?"

"Yes Shadow?" Espio turned back to the young-minded hedgehog.

"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to meet Silver, if that's ok." Shadow blushed nervously. "I have a few questions for the two of you."

Espio blushed lightly, a smile trying to hide it.

"Of course Shadow. I don't mind at all. After all, it was only a matter of time before you met him."

With that, Espio left the room, heading downstairs to grab his ivory boyfriend.

"What questions do you have for them?" Tails asked Shadow curiously.

"... Something that's been on my mind for quite awhile."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

A few minutes later, a knock came from the door again.

"Come in!" Shadow called cheerfully this time.

"Sounds like you're starting to warm up to meeting everybody." Espio smirked as he opened the door and stepped in, being followed by the white hedgehog.

"Mmhmm, a little." Shadow nodded, turning to the new one. "Hi, I'm Shadow. You must be Silver."

"Ooh, energy boost." Sonic chuckled. "Just a few minutes ago, you were still a timid little kid, asking for me to hold you and comfort you."

"Ngh! Don't say that out loud!" Shadow whined, blushing madly.

"It's true though." Knuckles laughed.

"Not helping, Knuckles." Shadow snapped.

"Whoa, Shadow!" Sonic frowned, a little concerned with this new behavior. "What's gotten into you?"

Shadow looked down and sighed, his ears flattening against his head and tears slightly filling his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He apologized meekly. "I don't know what got into me. I guess I just felt embarrassed, but that doesn't excuse my behavior. I'm sorry."

Sonic was concerned. Shadow hadn't exactly been acting like himself since this morning. He was blushing much more, and seemed more timid than usual. He was also very clingy to Sonic, which, the blue hedgehog didn't mind, but was concerned nonetheless.

"Um," The ebony hedgehog started again. "I think I'd like to talk to Espio and Silver alone this time."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked him.

"Yes." Shadow nodded. "I'll be fine. The questions I want to ask them are a bit… personal."

"Well, alright then, if you're sure." Sonic nodded, giving Shadow one last comforting hug before standing up. "If you need anything, just holler, ok?"

Shadow nodded and watched as Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Tails all left the room, leaving him alone with Espio and Silver.

"Everything alright?" Espio asked him in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask a few things." Shadow nodded. "Then maybe I can finally understand what's going on with me."

"What do you mean?" Silver asked curiously.

Shadow sighed before looking up at them. "You two are lovers, right? At least that's what Sonic told me."

Espio and Silver looked at each other, blushing behind their smiles.

"Well, yes, yes we are." Espio answered. "We've been each others boyfriend for quite some time now."

"How did you know you liked each other?" Shadow asked curiously.

"Well, it started out with us being just friends." Espio started.

"But as time went on, we grew to realize we had stronger feelings for each other." Silver added. "Really, it all started out with a simple question."

"A question?" Shadow tilted his head curiously.

"Yes, a question." Espio nodded. "Silver was dared one time to answer a question about marriage. The question was, that if he could marry anybody, who would it be and it couldn't be Blaze."

"I had a small crush on her back in that time." Silver elaborated sheepishly. "Anyway, the way I answered was that it would have to be someone I got along with. Someone who I feel literally wouldn't throw me out a window."

Shadow giggled at that.

"Someone who I could always be myself around, and we'd treat each other like best friends just as much as lovers." Silver blushed, staring at Espio a little seductively. "So, my obvious choice was Espio."

"Since because it was only hypothetical at the time, I agreed to his proposal." Espio chuckled. "But… as time went on." He reached out for Silver's hand, who promptly gave it to him. "We grew closer and eventually… it wasn't hypothetical anymore. We truly loved each other."

"That's so sweet." Shadow gushed childishly.

"But," Espio started, looking back at the ebony hedgehog. "Why do you ask?"

Shadow blushed and looked down to his feet, feeling shy about his answer.

"Because… I think I might love someone too." He sighed. "I've been feeling… strange, lately."

"Blushing all the time?" Silver asked.

Shadow nodded.

"Feeling nervous around them?" Espio added.

Another nod.

"Wanting to be around them every second of the day?"

Nod.

"Feeling flustered when they show they care?"

It was becoming more prominent.

"Wanting the word _lovers_ to be true between the two of you?" Espio and Silver both asked together.

"Yes!" Shadow cried, tears falling from his eyes. "Yes to all of those things!"

"Oh, how adorable." Silver cooed. "He's got a crush, Espio."

"It seems like that." Espio nodded with a smile. "Who is it, Shadow?"

"It's… it's…" He stuttered. "It's… Sonic."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Sonic heard crying coming from inside Shadow's room and immediately went into protective mode. He raced to Shadow's room, much to the confusion of his friends, and swung the door open. He was greeted by Shadow rubbing tears out of his eyes and Espio and Silver trying to calm him down.

"What happened?" Sonic demanded as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Nothing Sonic." Espio assured him, smiling a little as Shadow whimpered and reached out to Sonic. "He just missed you, that's all."

"Oh," Sonic smiled warmly and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Shadow and wrapping him in a hug. "You missed me, Shadow?"

Shadow sniffed and nodded his head. To be honest, he didn't start crying because he missed the blue hedgehog, but rather, he started crying because the moment he told Espio and Silver about his crush on Sonic, he couldn't hold back his emotions anymore.

The reality of it all was too much. There was no way Sonic would want to be a lover to someone with the mind of a 4 year old toddler.

But maybe, there was still hope.

Maybe, he would understand.

"You know, you could've just hollered for me if you missed me so bad." Sonic smiled gently as he hugged the black hedgehog, slowly rocking him back and forth while brushing his quills back.

"I guess I wasn't really thinking straight." Shadow answered sheepishly.

Sonic chuckled and placed a gentle kiss of reassurance on top of Shadow's head. Shadow tried his best to hide his blush, while Silver and Espio were struggling to keep in their squeals of adoration.

The two hedgehogs would definitely make a cute couple.

"Everything alright in here?" Amy asked as she, Tails and Knuckles entered the bedroom, concern looks prominent.

"Yes, Ames, everything's fine." Sonic assured her, still holding Shadow close. "Little ebony just missed me, that's all."

A dark red blush glowed on Shadow's face at the nickname Sonic just called him. Flustered and embarrassed, but a tingling warm sensation flowing through his veins. It was clear to him he enjoyed this nickname, almost as much as he enjoyed the word lovehogs. He wanted to be Sonic's "Little ebony" and only Sonic's.

But, as much as he wanted to tell Sonic about his feelings right now, the story of how Espio and Silver got together kept him quiet. Love takes time to blossom, as they had made it seem.

Friends first… then lovers, if he's lucky.

"Thank you, Espio and Silver, for answering my questions." He thanked the two lovers. "And it was really nice to meet you, Silver, you and Espio make a wonderful couple."

"Thank you, Shadow," Silver smiled with a nod. "And it was nice to meet you too."

Suddenly, the ivory hedgehog leaned forward and whispered into Shadow's ear.

"Don't be ashamed of who you fall in love with. You never know if they may love you back."

Shadow smiled, his spirits soaring with that boost of confidence.

Silver was right.

He couldn't be sure if Sonic loved him or not. There were mixed signals of the many. Sonic may say that they're not lovehogs, but maybe he's just saying that because he thinks Shadow's not ready.

Well, the ebony hedgehog was going to prove that he is.

He's going to prove that he's mature.

He's going to prove that he's not scared.

He's going to prove that he can act his age.

"Sonic." Shadow sat up, lightly pushing the blue hedgehog away from him.

This confused Sonic a little. Ever since his rescue yesterday, when has Shadow pushed him away?

"Yes Shadow?" He asked him.

"I'm ready to go downstairs and meet everyone directly."

Now everyone was confused.

Where has this sudden boost of confidence come from?

But even though it was a little strange and a bit out of character for the ebony, Sonic still thought it was best to support him.

"Ok, if you're sure you're ready." He nodded. "Let's head downstairs. But if you get too scared or nervous, I have no problem with pulling you out of there."

"I won't get scared, I promise." Shadow assured with a frown, determination shining in his eyes.

… What has happened to Sonic's sweet and timid, little Shadow?


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey, sorry for the late update, I was having some internet issues and a small dose of writers block. But the dragon has been slain and the internet has been fixed, so please enjoy this next chapter!**

**Chapter 17**

Not long after, Shadow was confidently stepping down the stairs. He had the urge to actually put a skip in his step, but knew this would be viewed as childish, so he restrained himself and walked normally instead. The others were following him close behind, watching his every move, especially Sonic.

Part of him was proud that Shadow was starting to get more confident. It made him feel that the ebony was starting to get used to this place. However, another part of him couldn't help but worry, feeling that it was just too soon. No one could recover from emotional trauma that quickly.

When they reached the bottom step, Shadow couldn't help himself and he hopped off onto the first floor, giggling to himself before he promptly stopped himself, reminding himself to act his age. And by Tails observation, he was 15 years old, the same age as Sonic, and Sonic wasn't going around skipping down the stairs or childishly giggling to himself.

Shadow cleared his throat a little before turning the corner to walk into the living room, opposite from the kitchen. When he walked through the doorway, all of his confidence suddenly seemed to just fly out the window, making him revolve back to his usual timid manner.

There they were. The 10 people that had come to see him, including the 5 he still had yet to meet.

Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a good idea.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here, handsome?" The white female bat stood up from being seated on the armrest of the chair, her hand on one hip as she smirked suggestively at the black and red hedgehog. "You must be Shadow, and my aren't you handsome. My name is Rouge. It's nice to finally meet you, hun."

Shadow's cheeked burned a fiery red as he timidly stared at the ground.

"I-It's nice to meet you too, Rouge." He whispered shyly.

So much for having confidence.

"Aw, look what you've done Rouge." The raccoon rolled her eyes. "You've gone and made the guy blush. Sonic said he has the mind of a child, so do you think you can try to keep your charms to yourself?"

"Oh hush Marine, I was only giving a compliment." Rouge rolled her eyes. "Honestly, it'd be a crime to not acknowledge his good looks."

This made Shadow blush even more.

Sonic once told him yesterday that he was gorgeous, and he enjoyed hearing it from him. But hearing someone else call him handsome and good looking… it didn't feel right. He didn't get that same warm feeling when Sonic called him his little nicknames.

It made him feel… embarrassed.

Shadow jumped a little when he felt a gentle hand laying on his shoulder. He looked up and gave a small smile, purring quietly as Sonic wrapped him in a protective side hug. He felt much safer being close to the blue hedgehog.

"Everyone, this is Shadow the Hedgehog." Sonic introduced proudly, partly glad that the ebony was acting his usual self again. "Most of you met him already, but he wanted to come down and meet the rest of directly."

"Well, isn't that brave of you, dear." The older female rabbit smiled gently as she cautiously approached the timid black and red hedgehog, being followed by her curious daughter and the blue creature. "Hello dear, it's very nice to meet you. My name is Vanilla, and this is my daughter Cream and her Chao, Cheese."

"Hello Mr. Shadow." Cream greeted cheerfully, holding the creature in her hands.

"Chao Chao!" The creature named Cheese chirped.

"Cream and Cheese?" Shadow couldn't help but giggle a little. "Like cream cheese. That's clever."

The little rabbit and her Chao beamed happily, proud to have made their shy new friend laugh. Sonic chuckled as well, finding this scene to be really adorable.

Cheese was wiggling in Cream's arms, so the little rabbit promptly let him go and the Chao flew from her arms. He flew up to Shadow and began circling him, chirping happily, trying to make the ebony smile again.

Unfortunately, however, the hedgehog was not expecting the Chao to approach him so quickly, and it scared him. He squeaked loudly and fell back out of Sonic's hug, landing on his tail onto the floor. It hurt real bad.

"Ow!" He whimpered, sniffing as tears rolled down his eyes in pain, not even acknowledging that he wet himself again.

"Shadow!" Sonic gasped as he quickly knelt down to him.

"Cheese, down!" Cream ordered the Chao.

"Chao Chao." The little creature whimpered guilty as he flew back into the rabbit's arms, he didn't mean to scare him.

"Shadow, are you alright?" Sonic whispered gently to crying hedgehog.

"My tail," He whimpered. "It hurts."

"Sshhh, it's going to be ok." Sonic whispered soothingly, brushing Shadow's quills back, trying to calm him down. He then began to gently pick him up, holding him close to his chest. "Let's get you cleaned up and then we'll have Tails take a look, ok?"

"Ok." Shadow sobbed, nuzzling his weeping face into Sonic's chest.

"I'll set up in the workshop." Tails quickly informed, racing away to the back of the house.

"I'll get a mop to clean up the mess." Knuckles offered.

"Thanks," Sonic nodded. "Amy can you come with me? I don't want to accidentally hurt him."

"I think you'll be fine, Sonic, I think it's best if everybody leaves now." Amy suggested.

"Yes, I agree." Vanilla nodded. "The poor dear has been through enough."

"Very well then, I can handle this on my own." Sonic nodded with a sigh, bouncing the crying hedgehog in his arms a bit as he turned to go upstairs to the bathroom. "Come on Shadow, let's get you cleaned up."

Poor Shadow only continued to sob in pain and shame.

So much for acting his age.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Shadow was still sniffling by the time Sonic got them to the bathroom and walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Shhh, it's ok, Shadow." Sonic whispered soothingly, rubbing the ebony's back and kissing his tan cheek. "It's ok. Tails and I are gonna make it all better, ok."

"It really hurts." Shadow whimpered, referring to his hurt tail.

"Let me take a quick look. Can you stand still for me?"

Shadow nodded and let Sonic set him down, planting his feet firmly on the ground and standing still. He felt Sonic's hand gently rubbing up his tail and he flinched, right before releasing a small moan.

His hands shot up to his mouth and he blushed madly. He had never made that sound before. Sonic was blushing too, but he tried to play it off.

"It's pretty tender, but I don't think it's broken." He explained. "It may just be bruised but we won't know until Tails looks at it."

"Ok." Shadow nodded, trying to forget that strange noise he just made.

"Let's just focus on getting you cleaned up."

"Ok."

And that's just what they did.

For the third time in two days, Sonic ran a bath for the ebony hedgehog and helped him step in, being careful not to hurt his tail. There was no sound between them. Only the humming of Sonic's voice behind his lips as he gently scrubbed at Shadow's fur, trying to get the urine out of it.

"Can I ask you something, Shadow?" The blue hedgehog suddenly asked him.

"Ummm, sure."

"... Why did you think you were ready to be in such a big crowd, without even meeting the others individually?"

Shadow blushed as his ears lowered to his head. He knew this question was coming, and it was time to face the music. He shouldn't lie, it was wrong to lie. That much he knew.

"I wanted to prove to you that I could be mature." He whimpered. "I wanted to prove to you that I could act my age… so much for that."

"Oh Shadow." Sonic sighed, pulling the ebony into a gentle hug, brushing his quills back. "Whatever made you think you had to prove something like that to me?"

"B-Because you said t-that I had the mind of a f-four year old." Shadow cried, burying his face into Sonic's shoulder. "I-I wanted to prove to you t-that I wasn't a little k-kid."

"Oh Shadow." Sonic sighed once more, placing a kiss on top of his head. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I said that because I was willing to help you grow, learn, and understand the world around you. I still am. I never meant to make you feel as if he had to prove yourself to me, that's not what I wanted at all. I'm so sorry, little one."

"Please stop calling me little, I'm not little!" Shadow wailed, pounding his fists against Sonic's chest. He'd never get anywhere with Sonic if he only saw him as a little hoglet.

"Sh sh shhh, it's ok, it's ok." Sonic whispered gently as he was able to grab onto Shadow's fist and stop him from throwing a fit. Now he was really worried. Something told him that there was more to this than what Shadow was letting up. "Shads… can you tell me what this is really about?"

Shadow whimpered and looked down in shame, tears rolling down his cheeks. Should he tell him? Would he get mad?

"Shads?" Sonic called for his attention. "Did something happen while you were talking to Espio and Silver?"

"... Yes." Shadow sniffed. "I told them the truth… about how I was feeling. I didn't understand it, and I thought they would've. They gave me their answer when my answers matched their questions about it. And when they asked who, I told them the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"... Sonic… I was trying to grow up for you… I was trying to because… because… because I… love you… Sonic."


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Silence rang through the bathroom.

Shadow shut his eyes and hung his head in shame, releasing small sobs.

He never should've said anything. Now the blue hedgehog was probably mad at him.

"... Shadow."

"Please don't be mad!" The ebony hedgehog suddenly blurted out, bursting into tears. "I don't know how it happened, it just did!"

"Shadow…"

"I'm sorry! I'm so confused, and scared, and it's hard for me to make sense of my feelings, I just know that I love you! Please, please, please don't be mad!

"Shadow…"

Suddenly, a pair of warm peach arms wrapped themselves around the trembling body of the sobbing hedgehog, pulling him into a tight hug. Shadow hugged back and screamed into the chest of his savior, having trouble controlling his emotions. That's when Sonic pulled him out of the tub and began pacing in the bathroom with him, whispering soothing sweet nothings in his ear as he gently bounced him in his arms, petting his quills back as he tried to calm him down.

"Shhhhhhhh. Shhhhhhh. It's ok. It's ok. Shhhhhhh. It's ok. I'm not mad. I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you, especially over something like that. Shhhhhhhhhh."

Suddenly, Shadow began to feel sick. His cries turned into violent coughs, sounding wet and mucusy. His face was flushed red and his eyes were bloodshot. His body started to convulse with each cough.

Knowing what was happening, Sonic quickly rushed to the toilet and lifted the lid up, helping Shadow bend over it as his body suddenly rejected this morning's breakfast, all of it falling out of his mouth and into the bowl.

Shadow couldn't recall ever throwing up before, probably because he was never fed enough to do so.

He hated it.

Sonic rubbed soothing circles over Shadow's back as the ebony continued to puke, cooing sympathetically.

"You poor thing, you're stressing yourself out." He cooed.

Shadow gave one more cough and a tiny burp before he finally felt better enough to push away from the toilet, cuddling into Sonic's arms once more, sniffing lightly. The azure hedgehog reached up to the handle and pressed down on it, flushing the mess away before going back to holding the young-minded hedgie.

"Are you ok?" He asked him gently. Instead of answering vocally, Shadow just nodded, nuzzling into Sonic's fur, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Shadow… you know I'm not mad, right?"

There was a pause before Shadow nodded again.

"I'm not mad, Shadow. I'm flattered that you say you love me… but you can't possibly know that."

"W-what?" Shadow gasped, looking up into those green eyes in shock.

"Think about it, Shads." Sonic sighed. "We just met yesterday. We barely know anything about each other, if not at all. You may think you love me, but in reality, I'm sure you just love the fact I rescued you."

"N-no, that's not true!" Shadow whimpered, tears falling down his face again. "I-I love you, I know I do! I get so flustered around you, and at the same time, I feel safe with you. I love the little nicknames you give me, and it feels wrong when somebody else, like Rouge, tries to call me them. I love your little kisses, and how you're so caring towards me. I love how you're so understanding and you don't get mad at me even when I feel like I deserve it. I love you, Sonic!"

"Shadow… look at me, little one." Sonic gently held Shadow's chin and made him look at him. "I am flattered that you think that way. Truly I am. But Shadow you're too young-minded to even think about what true love even means. I have no doubt that you have feelings for me, but I doubt it's love. You may have a crush on me… but you don't love me."

Shadow felt his heart shatter. Sonic didn't believe he actually loved him, and that left an empty feeling filling his heart. Could it be that Sonic was denying it because he didn't feel the same way? It made him want to cry again.

Sonic stared into those ruby eyes filled with hurt and confusion, tears streaming out of their ducts, and he couldn't help but feel bad. This little thing truly thought he was in love, but he was just too young to know what that means.

Still, it didn't mean he couldn't have a crush.

"You know, I'll tell you what," Sonic sighed, gaining the ebony's attention once more. "Let's give it a couple weeks. Let's get to know each other a little better, start you on some lessons to bring your education up to date, and if you still feel the same way about me then, maybe I'll consider it."

"C-consider what?" Shadow asked curiously.

"Consider being your boyfriend. But you gotta give it time until then, ok?"

"... ok." Shadow nodded determinedly.

He could do this. He could wait. He was just glad that Sonic was giving him a chance.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: This chapter is another big turnpoint, so I decided to post it early. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20**

A few moments after that, Sonic declared that bath time was over. He drained the water in the tub, but as he was looking under the sink for a towel, he realized there were none.

"Ah shoot." He hissed under his breath, however, Shadow's keen sense of sound heard it.

"What is it?"

"There are no towels in here. Hold on. There should be some in the laundry room. Wait right here."

"Ok."

With that, Sonic quickly stood up and left the bathroom, walking across the hall to the laundry room. When he stepped in, he noticed that Shadow's sheets were done drying. He'll put those back on the bed later. Maybe Shadow would like to help him. He could also explain the reasoning for the plastic sheeting as well.

With that in mind, Sonic went over to the rack and pulled a couple clean towels down. As he was turning to leave the room, however, something in the laundry bin caught his eye.

It was another towel, but it was heavily stained in yellow. Curious, he went up to the towel and picked it up, being cautious not to touch the yellow areas. He gave it a small sniff and he cringed. The fabric reeked of urine.

"Oh dear." He sighed, knowing fully well who might've used this. The question was when? He would have to ask. This was concerning. This would make the fourth accident he's had since they met him, which couldn't be healthy. Something could be seriously wrong.

Sonic sighed again and dropped the dirty towel back into the bin before going back to the bathroom. When he got there, he gasped.

Poor Shadow was sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around him, shivering with cold in his soaking wet fur.

"Oh Shadow, I'm sorry!" Sonic quickly went up to him, wrapping the shivering body in one of the clean towels he brought back. "I didn't realize I was taking that long!"

"I-I-It's o-k-k-k, S-S-Sonic." Shadow tried to speak through chattering teeth. "I k-k-know you d-d-didn't m-m-mean to-o-o."

"Oh you poor thing, you're freezing!" Sonic hugged the hedgehog close to him, rubbing the towel against the black fur to try and dry and warm it at the same time.

"I-I-It's ok Sonic. R-R-Really." Shadow tried to assure him, his teeth starting to chatter a little less. "W-W-What got you d-d-distracted anyway?"

"..." Sonic gave a sigh before answering, despite planning to ask this anyway. "I saw the towel in the laundry bin."

At first, Shadow was confused. What towel could Sonic be talking about? But as he began to think, his eyes widened and he gulped.

Sonic was clearly talking about the towel he had used that morning to clean up his accident.

"Shadow," Sonic began. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest with me."

"... ok."

"Shadow… did you have another accident sometime earlier this morning?"

Tears filled to the brim of Shadow's eyes, his emotions starting to become out of control again. He knew Sonic would find out eventually, and it was wrong to lie about it.

He sniffed and burried his face into Sonic's chest, the tears just spilling from his eyes.

"Y-yes." He admitted. "I woke up earlier this morning and I really had to go. I didn't want to wet the bed again, especially with you sleeping in the same bed, so I got up to go to the bathroom, but when I reached the door I couldn't hold it anymore and I ended up peeing on the floor. I thought I would get in trouble so I grabbed a towel and tried to clean it up. I'm sorry."

"Shhh. It's ok, Shadow. It's ok." Sonic comforted him, petting his striped quills back. "You should know you would never get in trouble for having an accident. Because that's what they are. Accidents. Nobody ever means to wet themselves, but sometimes they can't help it. It's ok Shadow."

"Y-you're not… mad?" Shadow gasped, looking up at him.

"No, of course not. I would never get mad over something like that. It's hard to get mad at you, anyway. You're the most innocent hedgehog I know. Nothing you do could make me angry."

"What about when I tried to make breakfast by myself?"

"Oh Shadow," Sonic sighed, bringing him in for another hug. "I wasn't really mad about that. I was more worried and scared for you than I was mad."

"... I'm sorry I worried you."

"It's ok. That's in the past now." Sonic continued to dry the ebony's fur. "Now let's finish up in here so that Tails can take a look at that hurt tail of yours."

"Ok."

A few minutes later, Sonic and Shadow were downstairs in Tails personal lab. Shadow was sitting on an examination table while the fox checked is tail.

Tails ran his hand over it, earning a sharp yelp and a hiss of pain from the ebony hedgehog. It didn't feel like how when Sonic did it last time. Tails seemed to be putting more pressure on it than Sonic did. He didn't like it.

Tails picked up a small device from a nearby table and scanned Shadow's tail. Afterwards, he took it over to his computer and plugged it in. He typed a few keys, and an image of Shadow's tailbones downloaded onto the screen.

"Well, the good news is that it's not broken." He explained. "But it does seem to be badly bruised. I'd advice being very careful with it until it's healed."

"How long will that be?" Shadow whimpered, rubbing his tail a little to ease the pain.

"Could take a few days, maybe even a week." Tails shrugged. "I'd keep an eye on it until then."

Tails moved over to a drawer and pulled it open. He took out some antibiotic cream and some gauze.

"Here." The fox then gently applied both onto the hedgehog's tail. "That should help it."

"Thanks Tails." Sonic stepped up, a nervous smile on his face. "Now, could you possibly check one more thing?"

"Um, sure, what is it?"

"Could you possibly check Shadow's bladder?" The blue hedgehog asked sheepishly, earning an odd stare from both Tails and Shadow. "Look, I may just be being paranoid, but Shads has had a lot of accidents since we met him. I just want to make sure that Eggman didn't damage his bladder or something."

"... Are you comfortable with that, Shadow?" Tails asked his patient.

Embarrassed, Shadow looked down at the floor, thinking to himself. He didn't really like the fact that he'd been having a lot of accidents, but he didn't think it was a big deal. But if Sonic was right? What if there really was something wrong with him?

"Yes," He finally answered. "I think that would be best."

"Ok then, go ahead and lie back for me. Be mindful of your tail."

Shadow nodded and began to lie down on the table, wincing a bit by his tail. When he was fully lying on his back, Tails took the device and scanned Shadow's pelvic area. Once he did that, he plugged it into the computer again and typed a bunch of keys.

Not long after, the scan appeared on the computer. Tails analyzed the picture a bit, and his face suddenly went pale.

"Uh, Sonic…"

"Yeah Tails, what's wrong?"

"I'm gonna need to talk to you privately."

"Is there something wrong?" Shadow whimpered fearfully.

"No no no, Shadow, it's ok. It's nothing too serious," Tails quickly answered. "I just need to talk to Sonic about this."

"Well, ok then." Sonic frowned, stepping up to his younger fox brother. "Let's talk on the other side of the room."

"Yeah, good idea." Tails nodded as he unplugged the device from the computer and brought the laptop with him.

When he and Sonic got to the other side of the room, Sonic turned to confront him.

"Ok, what's going on?" The blue hedgehog demanded, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "I've never seen you pale so quickly."

"Ok, first let me tell you what you originally requested of me." The fox sighed. "According to the scan, it looks like Shadow's kidneys and bladder has been badly damaged. They might not even heal. Eggman must've done some kind of torture that focused on those organs. It explains all the accidents he's been having. His bladder is very weak."

"Oh no, poor Shadow." Sonic cooed, his ears folding against his head in sympathy. He then shook his head, remembering that there was something else. "And, what about the other thing?"

"Well… Sonic… I know I'm not really an expert at the male anatomy, or any anatomy for that matter… but… I'm pretty sure a male isn't supposed to have a uterus."


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Now, it was Sonic's turn to freeze.

Shadow… had a uterus?

"A uterus?" Sonic repeated. "As in, that thing that women have to help carry a baby through pregnancy?"

"Uh… yyyeah?" Tails answered hesitantly.

"That… that can't be right." Sonic shook his head. "It's impossible, I mean… he's not a… I mean… I've heard of… but he doesn't…"

"I don't understand it either, Sonic, but even if it's clear he doesn't have all the parts to be an actual hermaphrodite, he still does have a uterus. Look!"

Tails then opened the laptop and showed the blue hedgehog the scan. Sonic looked at it and shook his head at the sight. There, plain as day, right above Shadow's bladder, was a uterus. Something in the picture then caught Sonic's eye, and he paled upon seeing it.

"Uh, Tails… what is that?" He asked cautiously, pointing at the tiny white dot that seemed to be floating in the uterus. "That better not be what I think it is."

Tails moved the laptop and looked at the dot, studying it closely. After a few moments, he shook his head.

"I don't know." He answered. "It's too small to tell, but if it is, we should keep an eye on it to be sure."

"I just can't believe this." Sonic sighed, suddenly starting to pace back and forth, running his hand over his quills. "How is this even possible? He doesn't have a birth canal. When it's time, how the hell is he supposed to give birth to it?"

"Well, the only obvious choice would be through a C section." Tails answered.

"A mother shouldn't _need_ a C section to bring new life into the world, that's the whole point of having a birth canal." Sonic growled. "So I ask again, how the _hell_ does Shadow have a uterus without him actually being a herm?!"

And then, all of a sudden, it made sense to them.

"The scar…" They both said in astonishment.

"Eggman, just what the hell are you planning?"

**…**

Deep in the bowels of Eggman's lair, the fat man laughed as he watched the progress slowly growing on a screen.

"Yes, my plan is going excellently." He sneered wickedly. "Once the new life is in this world, I'll steal it for the taking, and I'll train it somewhere where those pesky rodents will never find it! And once it's ready to attack, hee hee, well, let's just say, Sonic and Shadow would _never_ be able to hurt their own child. HO HO HO HO HO HO!"

As the fat doctor laughed, the computer continued to load. By the speed it was going, it would take it nine months to finish.

On the screen was a robotic surveillance if Shadow's uterus that Eggman himself had installed. In the surveillance, the dot floated and wiggled slightly, growing slowly. Next to the scan were two pictures of two different hedgehogs, explaining their heights, weights, and the different powers they had and which ones would most likely transfer over.

The first one was a picture of Shadow. Above his head, was a 3D DNA sample with a percentage of 50 right beside it. The second picture was of Sonic, and it had the same DNA sample with 50%.

These were the parents of the new life that was slowly growing inside of Shadow.


	23. Announcement

Alright all you faithful readers, I have an announcement.

Now don't panic, this is NOT the end of Innocence. Unfortunately, I am suffering from writers block (the bane of every writer) and I'm struggling on figuring out how to continue this. I am currently working on the new chapter, but it's taking longer than expected because of this damn dragon on my shoulder.

Once I have defeated the writers block, I should be going back to posting regularly. Until then, please be patient.

*tries to shoo the dragon away and gets finger bit* OW! Well fuck you too!


End file.
